Exalted
by Abel Sephaos
Summary: When a being grown out of control threatens the very existence of the Sea of Souls, the Proprietor takes an extra step to stack the deck in his favor. Arisato Minato didn't know how to feel about the entire situation other than irritated.
1. Unsealed

_**Exalted**_

 _ **A Persona and DxD Crossover**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously._

 _Nothing is abandoned, however I needed to step outside of my usual comfort zone for this one._

 _The Crimson Lord is the crowned emperor in this particular crossover section. I just want to try to make a more serious take on the DxD universe._

 _I am also aware SMT and Persona are considered two different universes, but as far as I can tell, it was only due to split time lines that led to Persona instead of SMT with the Angels dropping American bombs and shiiiet._

 _The different pantheons, the potential for combat, growth, bonding and situations you would rather not be involved in. All things that make writing fun. On that note please know that Issei might just become a poet with his gratuitous love of Oppai, Video Games... and Oppai. He has no chill, no filter, no brain._

 _I have already planned the ending to this story, final boss and all. Huzzah._

 **[EX]**

There were many things Minato could have expected after sacrificing himself to stop the Fall. Immediate death, a slow death, an agonizing death, or something equally as death inducing. He received none of the above.

He had attended the last month of his Senior Year at Gekkoukan High with the rest of the SEES members, though he seemed to be the only one aside from Aigis who could remember anything relating to the Dark Hour or Tartarus. Every day was a struggle for him as he could feel himself slipping away, his mind growing cloudier and cloudier as the Sea of Souls moved further and further from him.

It was on graduation day that he knew his time had come, having felt the energy within his body waning from a spark to an ember, no matter how much he attempted to rest or recover. The power of the Universe Arcana still pulsed just below the threshold of his mind, yet it did not sustain him in the slightest. If anything, the mere presence of the overwhelming energy that came with transcending past mere miracles was what laid him to rest quicker than ever.

Despite living on borrowed time, the Wild Card of SEES knew without a doubt that his last month was the most peaceful one he had experienced in his mostly apathetic life. His bonds with his ilk, group, Family, had proven stronger than whatever power it was that stripped them of their memories, something he was immensely grateful for. While he did not regret his choice to sacrifice himself to keep Erebus from reaching out to Nyx once more, it would have crushed him to die alone after all he had sacrificed.

He didn't mind where he chose to lay for his final rest, the lap of Aigis more comfortable than her mechanical frame had any right to be. The sound of laughter and cheers could be heard from below, signifying the final moments the Senior Class would spend within the halls of the Academy. Minato found it ironic, he supposed, that his final moments would only be after officially graduating high school.

"Don't cry..." Minato mumbled out through dry lips, his throat feeling as if a desert chose to relocate itself to the inside of his body.

The tears that poured from the eyes of the machine were the most sorrowful thing Arisato Minato had ever seen, but her face would surely haunt him in the afterlife if his destiny wasn't to become the barrier that held back the Will of Man from Nyx. No afterlife awaited him, only the darkness deep within the Sea of Souls.

He would become the Bulwark between Erebus and Nyx, he would become the wall that the Darkness in Mans heart broke itself against time and time again, roaring out for its release from torment.

He would protect those cherished bonds he forged between himself and his Family with every fiber of his being, physical or spiritual.

"I.. I am glad I got to spend my last moments with you." Arisato Minato confessed to the blond Android, uncharacteristically emotional in the face of his final moments. While no tears threatened to spill from his stoic eyes, the softness that had taken over his usually blank face broke the dam of tears that the artificial life form had been trying to hold back.

If he wasn't moments away from eternal darkness, Minato would have questioned how she could cry. Instead, he engrained the image in his mind to be his final sight amongst the living.

The sweet lullaby that Thanatos sung to all of his cherished dead filled his ears, though it did not fill him with dread. 'Thank you, for staying with me this whole time.'

The roar he received, so full of sorrow, let him know that the feeling was reciprocated.

The soft patter of feet echoed across the rooftop of Gekkoukan Academy as the SEES members raced to the sitting form of Aigis.

"Arisato-san/Minato-senpai!" The group called out desperately, having remembered the bonds they forged in the fires of Tartarus at the last moments, but they had come too late to say their goodbyes.

Arisato Minato passed into a deep sleep that day, and the next his body gave out and perished, no longer holding the precious soul that it so desperately needed to survive.

 **[EX]**

"My... it seems that I was correct in my assumptions." A nasally voice cut through the static that filled the bluenettes mind, a very familiar nasally voice. The soft giggle that accompanied the voice was equally as familiar, causing the resting body of Arisato Minato to stir once more.

'Igor? Elizabeth?'

Bleary, steel gray eyes glossed over the Velvet Room once more, even if his contract had been fulfilled to its utmost. He wasn't sure if he should be amused, or extremely concerned.

Humanity was safe from its own self destructive desires, the Dark Hour and Tartarus were no more, yet here he was once again. What held back Erebus, what held back the ultimate desire for release from reaching Nyx once more if he was here, and not within the Great Seal?

Panic began to set in. Had Minato been a lesser man, one not blessed with an Aspect of Death from the tender age of ten, that panic would have been prevalent. Instead, he pushed the raw emotions away and his apathy returned once more.

"It seems, my favorite Guest, that your journey is not yet over." Igor stated, motioning to the Universe Arcana card that floating above the table that Igor sat at. "I was not incorrect when I said that any Realization is no miracle to you, after all."

"What do you mean?" Minato questioned with uncertainty in his voice as he rose from his resting position across from Igor, the plush chair he was resting in creaking as he did so. While comfortable for sitting, leaning sideways while sleeping... not so much.

"The Fall was prevented, and as of this moment, your Soul has been acting as the barrier between Erebus and Nyx for close to a decade. This world has lived in peace with only minor instances of shadows isolated to Japan, and life has continued to flourish thanks to you. However," Igor explained, a grim solemness in his tone as he folded his hands beneath his chin, "The Collective Unconscious, the Sea of Souls that binds us all has been in extreme turmoil since your vessel perished."

Minatos' eyebrows furrowed slightly, belaying his concern as his normally stoic visage was broken.

"Explain." It was not a command, but a request stated as a demand. Igor knew that Minato had no need for eloquent speech or useless chatter. He was a man of very little words, of many great actions.

It was Elizabeth who answered in his stead, as Igor looked as if he couldn't quite formulate the words needed to further elaborate upon his statements.

"Every soul, every being draws its essence from a singular place. This place is known as the Sea of Souls, where the radiance of light and the dredges of dark are pulled from. You have sacrificed much for this world, and your fate should be to hold back the Great Seal for the rest of time," Elizabeth explained, her voice dripping honey, "But this Axiom, which all worlds are connected to, is in grave peril from a presence threatening to consume a world closely connected to your own."

Minato, ever expressive, rose his eyebrows a fraction further, letting the two know that he was indeed surprised and not merely mimicking the reaction as they knew he would often do.

"Just how many worlds are there?"

Elizabeth had a joyful inflection in her voice when she answered. "Too numerous to give you an accurate representation."

Minato realized that the taste in his mouth was purely bitter, nothing sweet about it. Perhaps even slightly salty.

It made everything seem so... inconsequential. The more he thought on it, the less he cared, however. While more worlds may exist beyond the boundary of his own, it was the world he gave forfeiture of his everything for. His friends continued to live on that world, and thus it was more significant to him than any other he might learn of.

"Why should it matter to me?" Minato questioned, his head tilting slightly to the left while he stared Igor down. It was more than just a simple question, Igor realized after pondering how he should answer.

There were no rewards that he could offer, no incentive to offer him. His death was to assure the survival of one world, and one world alone. He didn't quite like the idea of interfering in the business of a world that didn't hold his cherished ones.

"The thought of living once more does not appeal to you, does it?" Elizabeth questioned sadly, knowing the truth of Arisato Minato better than many. It was the presence of Death that left the lad emotionally stunted, and when he finally found a group of friends that could breach even the thick walls of apathy, the happiness he found was torn away from him and ripped to shreds.

Let it be known that Minato was not selfless. Far from it, in fact. His life sacrificing ordeal could be understood as putting his friends above himself, but it was simply not the truth.

Minato chose to give himself because he refused to allow his family to die. It could be the aspect of Death that he housed, it could be from childhood trauma, it could even be PTSD from the many near death experiences he had to deal with while climbing Tartarus, but he just couldn't bring himself to care about the large bulk of humans uselessly waging wars against one another nor the waxing and waning of nations. He wouldn't allow to see a child, woman or innocent harmed in his presence, but he would not put himself in peril should other options present themselves.

That said, however, did not mean that Minato would not help out those in need. Many days of his were spent working around the town, doing odd jobs for those who requested favors from him. Let it be known that before his death, the Arisato had accumulated quite the fortune in physical commodities.

He gave himself for SEES and SEES alone, though, so that humanities darkness could no longer threaten his family again. It was the ultimate form of selfishness, he supposed, to only consider death an option if it meant that his group could live the lives they dreamed of. If the rest of life on Earth reaped the reward of continued existence as well, he had no qualms.

"Without them, I have nothing. No meaning." Minato admitted with an inclination of his head, feeling that the Velvet Room Attendants deserved a straight answer for once instead of vague hints or single worded replies.

Igor sighed, resting his forehead against the crease of his folded hands, his eyes downcast at the Tarot Cards spread out upon the table before him.

"Minato, I am going to be honest with you..." Igor began, his eyes closed in contemplation, his face schooled into a passive expression, "Should you chose to not help, billions upon billions of lives will be lost, human or otherwise. SEES has no way to combat this threat like yourself, and the moment it finished off the world it is bound to, it will jump to yours and continue its destructive rampage. Your family will experience a death beyond brutal, and it would be drawn out for this beings enjoyment."

Minato slumped into his chair further, his steel gray eyes facing forward yet unseeing. The wooden arms of the chair splintered into thousands of pieces as his hands closed around the wooden shafts. A heavy weight settled on the room,

"Clever... to use them against me." Minato murmured, A faint feeling over anger rolling deep within him, "I thought better of you."

The large nosed man with beady eyes knew that he risked much, making his case the way he had, but if there was anything that could motivate the young man before him, it would be a threat to his family. While he seemed to understand that Igor wasn't making a threat, it could still be perceived as such.

"If ruining my relationship with you would convince you to give us your help, it would be well worth it." Igor admitted with no hesitation. Elizabeth also nodded her head in agreement with Igor when Minato turned his gaze to her. "This goes beyond just the death of two worlds. This being is so far beyond Nyx and Erebus that it makes beings on par with Gods and Daemons seem like insects. I cherish my bond with you, but how can I cherish anything if existence itself is erased?"

Both attendants of the Velvet Room felt as if they were stripped naked when his silver eyes sharpened, though neither made any sudden moves. The way he continued to dissect them, disbar them, unravel their inner most secrets and lay them bare with just the windows to his soul unnerved them.

"If it means that SEES will remain safe, then so be it," Minato finally acquiesced, "I will do it for them, and you."

The twinkling blue butterflies that the Wild Card vaguely recalled having seen only once seemed to dance with renewed vigor, their flight having been sluggish since he awoke.

 **[EX]**

The sound of an alarm ringing in his ear awoke Minato for the second time, causing Minato to give an irritated huff before rolling over to turn the contraption off. Being the first bit of comfortable sleep since however long he had been sealed away was hard to wake up from and not feel frustrated.

'Where am I this time?' He questioned, having never been in the room he awoke in before in his life. The walls were a bland white with nothing in the means of decoration. A small desk was placed against the wall in the far left corner of the room, a stack of books, two sealed envelopes and a wallet placed neatly atop it.

Quite frankly, there was nothing the apathetic member of SEES wanted to do more than to return to sleep, but he doubted he would be able to force himself back to sleep now that he was fully awake. Having suffered from Insomnia during the last month of his time at Gekkoukan, he had grown used to going on little sleep. Who knew that subjecting himself to an almost nightly time distortion of an undisclosed amount of time would leave to horrible sleeping patterns.

Seeing nothing of importance in the room outside of the desk, Minato trotted to the bathroom on slightly hobbled legs to go through his morning rituals and be done with the process.

He still had a hard time comprehending having a conversation with two people in a small pocket dimension within a different massive dimension to waking up in a small apartment in Japan in only his boxers. He deduced it was a small apartment by the furnishings of the bathroom, and that he was in Japan due to the brand of toothpaste and soap present on the sink counter.

Unless he was in some foreign country with an apartment with Japanese furnishings. He wouldn't put it past Igor at this point.

Minato was sorely hoping that the envelope contained a letter that might further explain his situation a bit more, because everything he had heard from the two in the Velvet Room hardly explained anything. As far as he knew, there was some sort of malicious entity that was sealed away, and when the seal breaks, it will devour the world and use that boost in power to breach the boundaries of dimensions and continue along in a chain reaction of desolation.

That was worst come to worst, he had assumed, otherwise he wouldn't be pulled from the Great Seal holding back his own worlds personal evil. He found the entire situation somewhat ironic, but only enough to hate it thoroughly.

'What is it with evil beings needing to be sealed away?' He questioned as he headed towards the desk, still walking around in his boxers like he owned the place. He really hoped this was not an occupied home that they dumped him in the middle of so much right now. He also wouldn't put it passed Igor OR Elizabeth.

It turned out that whoever PHIL was had a cruel sense of humor, as he only gave the briefest of words within the letter, while the second envelope contained a slightly obscene stack of yen notes.

 _Dearest Wild Card,_

 _I am putting my faith in you to fix this problem._

 _You are currently in Kuoh, a city of Japan that is rather famous, or infamous for many different reasons._

 _You will find that your abilities work differently in this world, as well as the Persona themselves. Fear not, for they still reside within your Sea of Souls and shall come when beckoned. The Universe Arcana has more than likely kept your body preserved in its previous condition, though you may feel the full effect of such awakenings now that you are not in a sealed state._

 _Train yourself as hard as you can, but do not neglect your life. You have enough time to be more than prepared for when the seal will break, so do try and enjoy it. Everything in the apartment is yours, including the apartment itself._

 _Elizabeth has taken initiative in the world you in now and has enrolled you in Kuoh Academy, hoping that being around such a familiar type of setting would allow you to adjust at your own pace to the Japan you find yourself in, as it is not quite the Japan you left behind._

 _A Casual Observer,_

 _PHIL_

A severe frown marred the usually stoic face of Minato as he finished reading the note, and for good reason.

'But I just graduated!'


	2. I Am Become DEATH

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter 2, I am become DEATH**_

 _ **A Persona and DxD Crossover**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously._

 **[EX]**

Minato had half a mind to withdraw himself from this Kuoh Academy. Why would anyone want to go back to school when they had already completed every course they had offered with honors?

While he did not have a diploma from Gekkoukan, or even any of his course work, he still remembered studying and mastering the many subjects available from a higher education and had even begun studying college level subjects with Fuuka and Aigis before being sealed.

The Arisato had finally pilfered the closet for clothing after deciding that he did not enjoy the feeling of being bare to the world. The clothing provided was a dark black version of Gekkoukans uniform, minus the crimson SEES armband that signified his allegiance, giving the teen something comfortable and familiar to wear.

Say what you will, but the suit of black and white had been breathable and had fashion appeal. The school crest was no longer present on the left breast pocket and no labels were present, making Minato wonder if it was Elizabeth or her rarely mentioned older sister who had created the suits for him.

Deciding to question it later, Minato grabbed the wallet and flipped it open, revealing identification cards and a few more Yen notes. The ID cards were filled out with information unlike what was on his previous ID, showing that he was a legal resident of the city of Kuoh.

He was certainly thankful that the Velvet Room attendants had given him such items, because otherwise he would have had to go through the trouble of doing it himself, and he had no idea where to begin even forging such things. Involving himself with the criminal organizations that usually dealt with such requests would have left him broke at the end of the transaction, he was sure.

Pulling open the drawer of the desk, the Arisato found a manilla folder containing a birth certificate and other documents showing his transfer from one Fujima Academy to Kuoh. Next to the Folder was a sleek black pistol, not unlike an Evoker. It was the weight that told Minato that it was no normal gun, as well as the fact that the magazine refused to release itself, signifying no real way to load ammunition into the weapon.

That was fine and dandy, he supposed, having a familiar object with him had in some form relieved some of the stress he felt building up within him at his situation. He was going to peruse the paperwork before familiarizing himself with the area, but a gurgling noise erupted from his abdomen, forcing him to put his plans on the back burner.

Leaving the room, Minato made his way out of his room and into the hallway, revealing two more doors to his left and right that led into a guest bedroom and another bathroom.

'This apartment is new.' Minato thought to himself as he took a deep breath, smelling the fresh paint and leather that permeated the air within the apartment he found himself in.

Passed the hallway was a large living room with two more doors to the right while a kitchenette furnished with cooking utensils was to the left. The fridge and cabinets were empty, of course, but Minato knew he had enough money to sustain himself for months if he was frugal.

In the living room, a leather sofa rested in front of a glass coffee table, colored black and covered in a sheaf of plastic to keep the dust from its surface. To the right of the coffee table was leather recliner, also colored black and covered in plastic.

There was no television or any form of electronics in the house outside of the fridge in the kitchenette and the smoke detector in the hallway, though that suited Minato just fine. Junpei and Fuuka spent more time playing video games and watching television than they had any right to, in his opinion, whereas he spent most of his time doing odd jobs around town to earn more money and upgrade his Social Links.

He was of the opinion that both Television and Video games rotted the mind, and would much rather read a book or learn a new subject.

He stood corrected on the lack of electronics, for as soon as he looked back to the coffee table he found his old phone, mp3 player and headphones resting on top of a map of the area around him.

'Convenient.' Minato thought to himself as he reached down and folded open the map, drinking in the geographical locations of anything of interest within the town.

"You are here..." The Arisato read aloud as his eyes locked onto the red circle towards the center of town, just outside of the business district. Kuoh Academy was also circled in red, just ten or so blocks away from his present location. Pulling the map closer to his face, the Arisato did his best to memorize the locations of any restaurants and stores in between himself and the school he was forcibly enrolled in. The maps boundaries ended at the end of Kuoh, preventing Minato from finding out just how far he was from Tatsumi Port Island, the very place most of his meaningful memories were from.

Feeling confident that he could make his way around Kuoh with little difficulty now that he had a map, the Wild Card of SEES grabbed the phone, mp3 player, headphones and the set of keys to his apartment resting on the kitchen counter before making his way out of the pristine apartment building.

The sound of chirping birds, people greeting one another as they passed each other and traffic filled his ears as he started his way down the sidewalk towards the Junes shopping mall. Placing his headphones around his ears and letting his mp3 player hang around his neck, Minato quickly found himself in his comfort zone as his mind wandered back to the note from whoever PHIL was once more, his body on autopilot as he walked.

'What could he have meant by my Persona abilities being different?' Minato questioned as he sent a probing tendril of energy into his Sea of Souls, trying to replicate the process that required an Evoker for him at one point. Thanatos was quick to answer his beckoning, bringing much comfort to the Arisato upon hearing the familiar roar of the God of Death.

The aura of the Death God began to leak out from Minato, however, causing the teen to cut the link before the black energy could manifest itself in the physical world.

He did not account for a boost in the potency of the energy, however, thus he was surprised as he felt the energy struggle to remain unleashed. The birds around him stopped chirping and flew away quickly while the couple walking next to him began to send him nervous glances upon feeling an uncomfortable presence settle around them.

Gritting his teeth, Minato was able to finally reign in the deathly miasma that had been present within him since the age of ten, but not before more people began to send nervous glances in his direction. Quickening his pace, the Wild Card tried to place distance between himself and the crowd of passersby lest he continue to cause discomfort.

It seems that his very presence was capable of being drawn out in the world now, no longer bound to be isolated to Tartarus or the Dark Hour alone. While no longer leaking out a deathly aura, the power of the Universe Arcana still trembled beneath his fingers, roared through every fiber of his being, ready to be summoned at a moments notice.

He couldn't trust himself to test his abilities until he was far away from prying eyes, not wanting to bring harm to this worlds natural inhabitants in the slightest. While apathetic, he was not one who wanted to cause discomfort for the sake of satiating his curiosity.

Filing away his thoughts of testing himself for a later time, the Arisato soon found himself enjoying the scenery as he made his way closer and closer to the Junes shopping mall, unaware of the figure keeping pace with him just a few feet behind.

 **[EX]**

"Thank you for your patronage!" The cheerful Junes clerk called out as Minato gathered his bagged goods and departed from the line of customers. He nodded his head at the boisterous female and proceeded to leave the supermarket area of the local Junes, not feeling the eyes watching him from a distance as he made his way to the exit of the store.

With one hand, he replaced his headphones and continued to listen to the music he was most familiar. Night was soon to fall, he noticed, as the street lights flickered on around him, casting eerie shadows that seemed to writhe much like the enemies he faced during the Ascension of Tartarus with SEES.

So caught up in his thoughts, the Arisato did not notice as a light purple trench coat wearing man made his way down the same sidewalk he found himself walking along. Closer and closer the man walked until their shoulders roughly collided with one another, causing the Wild Card to lose his grip on his groceries.

Reaching up with a single hand, Minato removed the headphone around his left ear before speaking to the man who seemed to stop in his tracks after their collision.

"My apologies." The Bluenette murmured, reaching down for his groceries which had spilled across the concrete, "I was not paying attention."

The man did not respond, instead fully turning his body to stare at the young man he had just bumped into. After a few seconds of silence, the Arisato cocked an eyebrow in curiosity at the mans apparent animosity, as he could feel the intent to attack roiling from the man in waves. When the fedora wearing man continued to remain silent, Minato shrugged his shoulders and turned to depart, having finished gathering up the spilled ingredients.

It was only his sharp instincts that saved him from being impaled upon the spear that roared passed the space he previously occupied. A flexing of his hand caused the Blade of Lucifer to appear within his grasp while his groceries once more clattered to the ground. He wasn't quite sure how he summoned the blade to him seeing as he always had to carry his weapon, but he was thankful that the deadly weapon still responded to his touch as the beautifully crafted blade began to glow a baleful crimson.

He would question his instincts and abilities at a later time, he had more pressing issues to deal with at present.

"So you ARE a filthy devil." The unnamed man murmured, watching as the bluenette settled himself into a readied stance, "I was hoping that energy I felt wasn't my imagination."

"You are mistaken." Minato stated simply, eying the man while readying himself for combat. He did not summon a Persona nor fire off any spells, worried about collateral damage and any innocent life that might get caught in the cross fire. "Cease this foolishness, I have no qualms with you."

"That is where you are wrong, devil. You see, you exist, and that is a problem for a Fallen like myself. Another bonus is that you are all alone with no peerage and you haven't used a summoning circle, making you a stray correct?"

Minato fought the urge to scoff at the mans assumptions, "I am Human. This will be my last warning, stop attacking me and go away."

The fedora wearing man threw his head back and laughed, truly laughed, at Minatos statement. "You are also a liar, it seems. No human gives off such a foul energy, hell... even most devils don't have such a dark taint that I can feel from you." Another spear formed in the mans hand, glowing a bright blue that looked positively dull in comparison to the blade once wielded by the Morning Star clenched in Minatos left hand.

The man lunged forward, stabbing with the spear three times, though each time was deflected with skillful strokes of the Morning Stars blade. Minato pressed his advantage after the third stroke he parried caused the man to overcompensate, the baleful blade biting into the right side of the fedora wielder.

First blood was in Minatos favor.

"You were warned." Minato stated with a firm tone before landing a heavy knee the man in the same spot he just cut into. The Arisato was glad that Akihiko took the time to teach him the basics of hand to hand, mainly in the form of a mixture of kick boxing and Muay Thai.

The fedora wearing man roared in pain before leaping into the air. It was with wide eyes that Minato watched as massive black wings erupted from the mans back, allowing him to remain in the air while Minato remained grounded.

"You will pay for that, you little shit!" The man roared, flinging spear after spear at the Wild Card, though the boy continued to dodge left and right around them. Finally, the bluenette tripped up on a large chunk of concrete after quite a bit of time dodging, causing a spear to bury itself in his chest, directly through his heart and all the way through his back.

Coughing globs of blood up, Minato looked down at the spear planted in his chest before reaching for it shakily.

"My name is Dohnaseek, and it was your fate to die this day, you filthy stray devil!" The now named Dohnaseek roared in triumph as he finally scored a direct hit, and a fatal one at that. The man thought the fight was finally over and prepared to leave the scene until he felt a presence settle upon the battlefield.

Said presence continued to grow in intensity until it grew to a level that caused the fallen angel to fall from the sky after his wings refused to continue beating. Primal fear began to grip his heart as the heavy presence refused to stop growing in intensity. Struggling to breath, Dohnaseek lifted his trembling head from the concrete to find the source of the presence, only to lock eyes with the blue haired boy he was sure he murdered.

The circular silver eyes that stared back at him glowed brightly through the shadows that seemed to cling to the boys skin while multiple sets of coffins began to appear around him, acting as if they were wings. The sounds of rattling chains filled the once silent streets before they erupted from the ground and began to coil protectively around the Arisato. The light spear piercing through his heart was absorbed into his body and the wound began to stitch itself back together in an unnatural display of healing.

The Blade of Lucifer disappeared in a shower of sparks before the hand that had previously held the blade was aimed in Dohnaseeks direction. Black seals began to appear in the air around the raised hand, each glowing the same sickly shade of blackish purple as the wielder of the magic circle etching itself in the air, causing the fear Dohnaseek felt to skyrocket again after reading the invocations present within the circles.

'Oh no... nononoNoNONONONON!' Dohnaseek screamed to himself as realization finally dawned upon him. Only one being could summon such magic, only one being could wield the black powers of Death in such a way, and that was Death Itself.

The Fallen Angel had not always been a fighter. In fact, he once held a very high position in heaven for someone with only a single set of wings. As the Record Keeper of the Lower Realms, it was Dohnaseeks job to know everything there was to know about foreign pantheons, and it was this knowledge that caused him to realize his folly.

Dohnaseek had attacked one of the very beings that had existed for as long as his Father, the very being that even his Father felt trepidation towards angering. The being that has existed as long as Life, for as long as the concept of Infinity and Dreams.

It was the raw panic that allowed the Fallen to regain control of his body long enough to flee with his tail tucked between his legs, and just in time.

"Mudoon."

The pillars of purple light that erupted from the seal tore through the air and narrowly missed the fallen angel as he dodge rolled to the left, face first in to a tree. The grass around the area began to wilt rapidly as the tree Dohnaseek impacted shattered from both the decay from the deathly attack that was released in its area and the force behind the body that hit it.

Minato watched with dispassionate eyes as the man picked himself up and continued to flee, this time unabated. The chains and coffins that surrounded him began to break apart into pieces before those pieces decayed into nothingness, leaving the blue haired teenager alone in the middle of a slightly destroyed street once more.

The deathly miasma that came to the surface of his skin began to recede and his eyes returned to their normal shade of steel grey. As if sensing the danger passed, the street lights that flickered out when the fighting began once again became luminous, lighting the area once more.

With a sigh, the Arisato walked back to his previous position to gather up his groceries so he could head home for the night. 'The streets are surprisingly clear...' Minato frowned as he made absolutely sure he was alone in the area, something that made no sense to him.

He could have sworn he felt a presence hiding in the tree line not far from where he was standing, though he saw neither hide nor hair of anything that would be a threat to him.

As he disappeared down the street, a white haired figure with wide golden eyes watched in fear and some amount of awe as his figure receded into the dark of night.


	3. First Realization

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter 3, First Realization**_

 _ **A Persona and DxD Crossover**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously._

 **[EX]**

Dinner was made within two hours of returning home, but only after stripping down to just his pants and shoes. The white shirt had been ruined beyond repair due to the blood stains, while the jacket could be fixed. A quick shower had washed away the dried blood that had begun to itch and flake away, though it did little to relieve the turmoil he felt inside.

Had he been a lesser man, which he wasn't, Minato would have broken down into a nervous fit after taking a spear to the heart, but it seems that with both Thanatos and the Universe Arcana within his control, his death would not come so easily.

He didn't know if he should be pleased, or upset at the revelation, but he supposed it did not matter in the end. He would live until he did not, he figured, whether it comes through self sacrifice once more or perhaps even old age. He had an inkling that his deathly companion would refuse to take him even then.

The smell of sweet jasmine rice and fish had filled the apartment as Minato continued to slowly nibble at his dinner, his mind far removed from paying attention to what he was doing.

The attack on his person by the man named Dohnaseek struck a chord within him. He had been here only for a few hours and already he had seen combat. While the man was no where near the same level of opponent he was used to facing, it was still a surprise that such figures wandered the world freely.

It was the revelations that the Fallen had made through his accusations and statements, however, that had caused Minato to withdraw into his mind in thought.

'Devils and Fallen intermingle with the Human population, and there is apparently bad blood between at least the Fallen and Devils.' Minato thought to himself. Using his common sense, he also knew that there would be equally bad blood between Devils and Angels, and potentially even the Angels and Fallen, thus leading him to conclude that he found himself in a world where a three way cold, potentially hot, war was currently under way. However, it seemed Dohnaseek only attacked him because he thought he was a 'Stray' Devil, thus one existing outside of the current law, whatever that may be.

That meant that there was an established system of law between multiple factions to only attack those outside of set laws, or face repercussions. That meant that there might have been a war in the past, there is currently not.

Cold War it was then.

That caused the frown on his face to deepen. While in his world, the Persona took on the different aspects of the very same creatures of this world, ranging from common chimeras all the way to the highest beings of power possible. If Fallen, Angels and Devils existed here, who was to say Gods and Demons did not exist as well?

Just how many different groups existed, and how many were currently fighting?

"This is needlessly complicated." The Wild Card thought aloud as he leaned back into the comfortable leather sofa, seriously contemplating picking up drinking to deal with the headache he felt would become permanent. His goal of stopping whatever being it was that was sealed away within this world seemed to grow more difficult simply because he might have to face multiple beings of power before this ultimate darkness was released.

He finished his dinner some time later, and when he glanced down at the phone resting on his coffee table he realized that it was three in the morning. Standing up and stretching his arms above his head, the Arisato felt his back pop multiple times, causing a boneless feeling to sweep through his body.

A small frown appeared on his face as he gathered up his dishes and utensils before walking to the kitchen with a slow gait. Depositing the china into the sink, he decided to deal with cleaning at a later time.

It was just a few minutes later that the Arisato had stripped down to his skivvies before crawling into bed, but not before setting an alarm on his phone to wake him a few hours from then and placing the black Evoker in his waistband of his boxer briefs. The Blade of Lucifer was slipped beneath the covers beside him as well, its keen blade ready to kill at the behest of its wielder. 'Just in case.' He thought to himself as he felt his consciousness fading into the Sea of Souls as it did every time he slept.

He would see what this Kuoh Academy was about tomorrow before deciding whether he should attend or not.

 **[EX]**

Two figures sat around a small table, where the sound of tapping could be heard every so often. The first figure had short black hair and amethyst colored eyes, while the taller figure had crimson hair that traveled past her waist. Silence reigned between the two as they continued to stare at the chess board they were both seated around, each lost in their own thoughts. It was the female with crimson hair that finally broke the silence.

"We have a problem."

"Oh? And what sort of problem is that, Rias?"

"Don't play stupid, Sona, it doesn't suit you. I know you felt that massive spike of energy."

"Guilty as charged, I am afraid. What do you wish to do?"

The crimson haired female, identified as Rias, let a frown cross her face before moving her Rook to take out Sonas Bishop, who immediately reciprocated and took her opponents Rook with her last remaining knight.

"We do nothing, for now. If the perpitrator proves to be a threat, we take them out. If not... I could certainly use all the help I can get, maybe it was a new Sacred Gear. Koneko seems to think he will only attack if forced to defend himself." Rias began to speak after a few moments of silence, no longer even paying attention to the chess match before her as Sona moved to checkmate her king, "I have to say... he is a bit of a cutie, is he not?" The red head questioned while flipping out her phone, showing the Sitri Clan Heir the pictures her Rook had taken of the conflict while hiding in the tree line.

Sona had a feeling Rias was going to bite off more than she could chew, and soon. The boys eyes were as dead as the landscape he left behind by the release of whatever type of spell it was he used.

 **[EX]**

"I am telling you, DEATH HIMSELF is here in Kuoh!" Dohnaseek roared out at the incredulous faces of his comrades, fear still etched on his face as he continued to glance around nervously and flinch at his own shadow, "I would fucking know those seals, God Damn It! Raynare, you are not comprehending what I am saying! You don't get it! No one has seen this guy since the end of the Great War and he chooses to be here now? Just after we start receiving orders from Kokabiel?"

A loud slap echoed throughout the church as a woman dressed in extremely revealing leather strode forward and slapped the man breaking down into hysterics, "Pull it together Dohnaseek! We can not pull out now, not when we are so close to completing our goals!"

"Your goals, you mean! Fuck this, fuck you and fuck Kokabiel," Dohnaseek bellowed, his wings furling from behind him, "I am not sticking around after I angered a being you CAN NOT KILL!"

"Oh, and you will do what then? Return to Azazel? Let him know that he has turn coats in his midst? Tuck your tail and hope you are forgiven?" Raynare spat, a large spear of light appearing in her palm while the same appeared in Dohnaseeks.

Off to the side, two more females dressed in leather were speaking quietly between themselves as the two strongest members of their small group of Fallen got ready to fight one another.

"What should we do?" The woman with the short leather coat questioned her smaller companion, who had a thoughtful look on her face, "Should we stop them?"

"No, we shouldn't," The smaller one deadpanned, watching as two different colored spears of light collided against one another, throwing a shower of sparks each time the weapons made contact. "I do not know about you, but I am enjoying this show far too much."

"No, you dumb bitch, I am about to do the smart thing and get the fuck outta' dodge!" Dohnaseek grunted before summoning another spear of light in his off hand before smacking his two weapons together, causing a bright flash of light to emerge from the point of contact. The three fallen angels around him brought their hands up to cover their eyes as the light threatened to blind them, and by the time they lowered their limbs and cracked open their eyes, the only male of their group was long gone.

"Filthy traitor, he won't get away." Raynare spat with no small amount of venom in her voice, her spear of light dissipating as soon as she felt Dohnaseeks presence fade over the horizon. "Kalawarner, Mittelt, how do you two feel about a good, old fashioned game of Hide and Seek?"

A wicked grin split the face of Mittelt, who looked as if her birthday had come early, while Kalawarner seemed to be more thoughtful before nodding her head. "You know what, that sounds kinda' fun."

"Then lets play, girls!"

 **[EX]**

The following morning, Minato was awoken to the sound of a local radio station, blaring a rather upbeat song that almost caused him to be physically ill after hearing some of the lyrics.

"That is... wow." Minato murmured to himself in disgust as he reached down and pulled the Evoker from his waist band before rolling out of bed. Pulling the sheets back, he gripped the Blade of Lucifer with his free hand and removed it from its position on his bed, having served its purpose for the night.

As if understanding his dismissal, the blade disappeared in the same flash of sparks as the night before, causing the Arisatos eyebrows to furrow slightly. 'I really need to figure out what is going on with these abilities sooner rather than later.'

The Wild Card began his morning ritual as he did the previous morning, sauntering into the bathroom to relieve himself and freshen up for the long day he had ahead of him.

Not long afterwards, he was enjoying left overs from the night before while reading through a book on mythology that was left on his desk in the room he slept in. He thought back to a saying that Akihiko had told him just before they had faced down the many different shadows, gods and demons sealed within Tartarus.

"Knowledge is half of the battle. The other half is violence."

Minato grew to love that saying, because no truer words could be spoken about conflict.

That said, he wanted to know if there were difference between beings such as the Archangel Metatron who rested peacefully within his soul and the Archangel Metatron from this world, if there even was such a being.

He didn't even want to think about the fact that there could be two of the same beings occupying the same space, at the same time. He did not want to cause a Paradox, after all, because that could potentially destroy the world he was trying to save or something equally as ridiculous and headache inducing.

With a sigh, the Arisato rose from his position on the couch after finishing his breakfast, grabbed the manilla folder containing his transfer papers before leaving his apartment for the day. After dealing with his transference, Minato made the decision to test his abilities and perhaps even conduct a few summonings in the large wooded area at the edge of town, just to be sure that he was prepared for combat and that no new surprises could rear their ugly heads in the middle of a fight.

The ability to summon Lucifers Blade on a whim, or even a partial summoning like he did the night before were very useful skills to have, but he did not wish to be unaware of just what he was capable of any longer than he already was.

 **[EX]**

"Excuse me, Ma'am," Minato began, grabbing the attention of the woman seated behind the desk of the front office of Kuoh, "But I am here to finalize my transfer to this school."

He flashed the manilla envelope containing the paperwork needed for his transfer, causing the woman to hold out her hand to receive said paperwork without speaking.

After a few moments of shuffling through the paperwork, the woman nodded her head in satisfaction before setting the paperwork down on her desk before typing a few words into the computer before her.

"Stay here for just a few more moments, young man, I have someone coming to show you around and get you settled in." The elderly woman said with a smile on her face, "She should be here very soon."

"Thank you." Minato nodded to the woman to show his thanks before taking a seated position in one of the wooden chairs present in the front office of the school, waiting patiently for whomever she sent for to retrieve him. He rested the small leather school bag he purchased on his way to Kuoh Academy at his feet and waited patiently for his guide to arive.

After standing at the gates of the school for a few moments in uncertainty, contemplating just returning home and dealing with it at a later time, the Arisato finally got over his indecisiveness and pushed forward into the massive school grounds and into the building, where he now sat waiting to be shown around.

The black suit he was wearing was not unlike the uniform every male student he had come across so far, only missing the white accents that differentiated the two outfits. Minato had a feeling that he would be forced to change his wardrobe to accommodate the uniform policy of the school, though it mattered little to him.

The two were close enough that he had no doubt it would take no time to get used to the new clothes.

The female uniform, however, caused the blue haired Wild Card to blanch. He was very glad he was born male, because there is no way he could imagine even Mitsuru, his Crimson haired team leader, would even wear such a bodice or shoulder cape. Now that he thought about it, perhaps the cape, but certainly not the bodice. 'What is wrong with this world? First the song on the local radio and now this?'

Minato had been so lost in his thoughts of disapproval that he didn't notice the black haired female tapping her feet impatiently before him, her arms crossed over her bosom like a disapproving mother.

"Are you Arisato Minato, third year transfer?" The spectacle wearing female questioned with a slightly snarky tone, obviously irritated for being ignored for however long she had been standing there. "My name is Shitori Sona, Student Council President. Please follow me."

Instead of verbally replying, the Wild Card simply nodded his head and rose from his seated position, following behind his guide dutifully. Out of the corner of his eyes, Minato noticed that her shadow did not quite match her physical body, as two small demonic wings were present in the lower back of her shadow, yet not in the real world.

A cold sweat began to gather as he continued to watch the shadows of multiple different students as the two passed them in the hallways, noticing that she was not the only being to have such an odd feature.

'It seems that Demons are also presently mixed with the human population.' The Wild Card thought to himself as he did his best to suppress the energy thrumming through his body, hoping that Sona did not have the same sensory abilities that the fallen angel Dohnaseek seemed to wield.

As she began to point out the locations of the library and various classrooms he would be moving between, he made sure to memorize their positions as best he could, even as lost in thought as he was. It would not be good to get lost on his first day, he supposed.

Sona had eventually taken him to her office where a small stack of uniforms were neatly packaged and waiting for him. He eyed the female before him distrustfully, not sure what to make of this development before shrugging his shoulders.

Slipping his sleek black coat off, he replaced it quickly with the White and Black stylized coat that he would be expected to wear for the rest of his time at Kuoh Academy. His pants were so similar that the Shitori allowed him to remain wearing what he had on, though he was expected to wear the full uniform the day after. He left his old jacket and the rest of the uniforms with Sonas vice president, who took the clothing with a smile before telling him to return at the end of the day to retrieve them.

The two left her office soon after that, but not before her vice president introduced herself as Shinra Tsubaki, who also wore a pair of stylish glasses. Something told Minato that both only wore the things for looks, unless Demons under the guise of humans lose their physical traits when constrained in such a way.

He could only assume that the two before him did not truly look as they appeared before him, as there was no Demon outside of Lilith and Lucifer who looked even slightly physically normal and appealing. Such train of thought was cut off as quick as it began, lest his distrust of the two show in his body language.

Plans on the quickest way to kill them began to flit through his mind, weary of an attack at any moment. He had been caught flat footed by the attack by Dohnaseek, and he would not make the same mistake again. Thoughts of the Evoker he had hidden on his body did little to ease his uneasiness.

Finally, he arrived at where his home room class would be for the next year. "This is it. Have a pleasant day, Arisato-san." Sona dismissed him while gesturing towards the door before the two.

He nodded once more in her direction, sparing no words as he heard the teacher of the class state that there would be a new transfer student.

 **[EX]**

"That's him."

Minato heard the softly spoken words come from the petite white haired female sitting three rows from him, towards the front of the class room. It was spoken so low that had he not been the wielder of the Universe Arcana and Persona, he would not have heard it.

It was the two added sets of eyes watching him let Minato know that he was now being watched by a total of four, maybe five people now.

'They really think they aren't obvious?'

He knew those glances well. They were of skepticism.

The Arisato was unaware of why the would be skeptical of him, unless perhaps he had a casual observer from the night before that maybe had seen too much. He did not currently know any spells that would alter the memory of those around him, but he was sure one of the many Persona that came when he beckoned did.

He had no desire to bring normal human beings into a world they had no place in. It would be needlessly cruel for them to go against beings like Dohnaseek, let alone be plagued with the thoughts of such things. It would be a kinder mercy to make them forget. He just had to figure out if they saw what he thought they saw.

That was until the sun came from behind the clouds, illuminating the room further and casting shadows on the wall. Plans of erasing memories disappeared immediately.

Shadows that showed five different sets of wings throughout the room.

One of those shadows was sitting right next to him.


	4. Second Contact

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter 4, Second Contact**_

 _ **A Persona and DxD Crossover**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously._

 _To the anonymous review who stated I was moving the story too slowly, and that I was being too descriptive, I only have to say sorry._

 _I didn't know that my prose was so bad that it actually offended someone._

 **[EX]**

'Elizabeth, why?' Minato questioned the sanity of the Velvet Room attendant.

He was absolutely certain that she was aware of the many different beings intermingling with Humanity to the point that they appeared to blend in perfectly. He also knew that she knew those very beings attended the school she enrolled him in. He noticed that no one else seemed to pay any mind to the winged shadows that intermingled with them, no student thought it odd that perhaps there was something wrong with that fact.

Or he was the only one who could see them for what they were. Realization had led to mental clarity, and he would never be subject to simple things such as illusions, his Persona assured him of that. When he perceived the Dark Hour and Tartarus in their full, otherworldly glory, he saw passed the illusions of the world. No amount of Demon or even Angel trickery would fool him.

It was also at this realization that what he saw is truly how they appeared, for he would see their shadow as their true form should they be hiding beneath illusions.

He was troubled by the thought, but came to the understanding that perhaps they were Devils, the descendents of the Demons. No Demon looked as they did, after all.

'Why are they all blending in with the Human world? Do they not have their own domain?'

He was of the understanding that Angels stayed in Heaven, Fallen on Earth and Demons and their ilk in Hell. Of course, Biblical beings walking amongst the Humans he has sworn to protect through the blanket of protection he offers his Family left a bad taste in his mouth.

'Perhaps they need to stay amongst their prey, then?'

It was a logical train of thought, he supposed, to hide in plain sight so you could blend in with the very beings that you preyed upon. Easy Access.

He almost didn't hear the bell ring, so lost in thought that he was. He was not so lost in thought to feel the five sets of eyes following him as he strode from the room with his usual lazy gait, his emotionless eyes facing forward as he did his best to become the Gray Man he truly was at heart.

Blending in with the crowd and disappearing into the background was something he mastered long ago.

 **[EX]**

The only time he received reprieve from prying eyes was during lunch, which he spent on the room top behind the roof unit that kept the school cooled down. He did not bother with the bento he bought from a gas station in between his apartment and Kuoh Academy, no longer feeling hungry from all of the thoughts of Devils, Demons, Fallen Angels and otherwise.

The last class of the day ended and Minato did the same as he did during the first class. He blended into the crowd and disappeared, a passing ghost that none could see.

Or so he thought. He felt a single presence following closely behind him as he departed from the crowd and began to make his way to the edge of town, his gait slow but steady. He kept his eyes searching before him, but he would watch the reflection of every shop window he passed with his slow walk until he finally caught sight of the person following behind him a few feet.

'They really do think I am unaware.' He thought to himself after identifying the white haired girl from his first block, the one with golden eyes. She followed him intently, though she would stop and linger every so often as if she were window shopping.

He knew otherwise. When she broke away a few blocks away from the edge of town and walked down a parallel street, he knew that she would follow from a further distance, no longer able to claim she was window shopping if he questioned her in the woods.

He would have to either shake her, confront her, or ignore her.

Shaking her would be difficult, as she had a set of wings, though she might be incapable of flight.

Confronting her might lead to her calling in her comrades, and he did not know what a group of five Devils were capable of. He knew that individually, they did not give off large readings of energy save for the crimson haired and the black haired female Devils. Even then, they were only around the level of a lower Demon, and he had the ultimate Demons, Devils and Fallen at his beck and call.

He did not know if they would call further reinforcements. They could be important, or they could be nobodies. He wasn't sure if he wanted to find out. Confronting them with violence was out of the question. Minato would defend himself, he knew that without a shadow of a doubt, but he would not throw the first blow.

Not unless they gave him a reason to.

Ignoring her was out of the question. She would more than likely tail him throughout the day, no matter where he went, and would eventually lead to her finding out where he lives. He could quickly put her out of commission before returning home, but that also ran the risk of incurring the wrath of her group.

He continued his path into the woods, feeling the energy signature following behind him at a further distance than before. Finally, he found a clearing he was comfortable in, coming to a complete halt in the approximate center.

Minato waited until he felt the girl come to a halt just outside of the clearing, still hiding in the tree line. He continued to wait until he finally decided it was time to address the elephant in the room.

"You can come out now."

It was not a request, but a demand. A statement of fact. She would come, and explain herself.

The energy signature of the female fluctuated rapidly before settling back down, as if she had panicked before steeling herself.

She stepped out into the clearing, and Silver met Gold. Two apathetic souls stared at one another, though she was the more expressive of the two. He could still see emotion in her eyes, while his were as dead as the beings at his beck and call.

"Why are you following me?"

She did not answer immediately, though her brows furrowed slightly at his tone. Whether in anger, or fear, he was not sure. "I was curious."

A quick glance at her shadow confirmed his next statement. "Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. Are you satisfied?"

At the beginning of the phrase, the young looking female devil stiffened, though she seemed to relax after he finished the rest of the saying. She appeared confused for a moment before shaking her head in the negative.

"No."

Minato was not sure what to say. He had a female Devil with cat ears standing before him, looking as close to human as he did, a real human.

"You should stop following me. Please. I do not have grievance with you or yours."

It was a request, and a demand, then. Koneko knew that she could not stop following him, but now that he was aware that she was following him, he likely had been the entire time, then it was no longer as safe as she thought it was. Rias had wanted the young girl to keep her distance and not confront the teenaged bluenette, but here she was speaking with him face to face.

Her Buchou would not be pleased with her.

"Can't."

A small frown made its way to his face at that. "Can't or won't?"

She frowned just as much when she answered. "Both."

The two continued to stare at one another for quite some time. It could have been minutes, or hours, before he finally sighed.

"What do you want?"

"Sweets."

The cat eared Devil before him was asking for a bribe, and of all the things a Devil could possibly want, it was sweets. Not a soul, not a grand weapon, not even a favor. Sweets.

As if sensing his disbelief, she stated it a second time.

She knew she could no longer follow him at a distance. Instead, she would use the opportunity to see him up close and assess him as best she could. Getting sweets out of it would be a plus.

He shrugged his shoulders minutely before turning to leave the clearing. His white haired stalked followed much closer this time. Neither tried to make conversation, but neither really had to. He was under the assumption she was like him, in a way. Silent mouths denote the loudest minds.

 **[EX]**

He bought the girl a plethora of sweets at the assurance that yes, she would stop following him and return from whence she came.

She did leave, and he was allowed to return home without a tail.

However, she began to follow him again the next day, and the next day, and the day after, until a week had passed. The other Devils she associated with kept their distance, but he could feel their eyes on him at almost every waking moment he spent within the walls of Kuoh Academy. To make matters worse, he was also being watched by the Student Council President and her group, who lo and behold, were also Devils.

He almost, and he stressed the word almost, wanted an Angel to come along to spice things up a bit.

Instead he got a psychotic exorcist.

 **[EX]**

"Hey, shitty Devil, stop ignoring me and face me like a man!"

Yet again, the Arisato was leading a tail away from the main city and from the prying eyes that lay within. This time, instead of a cat eared Devil, he had a foul mouthed exorcist carrying a bible and gun following close behind. Minato knew that he was looking for a fight.

He clearly kept saying so.

"You keep ignoring me and I am going to rip your fucking head off and stick my dick down your neck!"

Minato turned his head to regard the man with a blank face, though he did not stop his walking. "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"So the shitty Devil can speak! Finally! I was beginning to think I was about to kill my first mute freak of your kind!"

The Wild Card had to admit that he was creative with his insults, if disgusting and obviously offensive.

"Go away."

"Go fuck yourself, I am going to show you a night you wont forget and paint this forest fucking red with your blood!"

Minato finally stopped and turned to face the man face on, deeming himself far enough away from civilization to defend himself aptly without fear of collateral damage in the way of lost lives.

"What did I do to you?"

"You breathed in the same fucking air as me, shitty Devil, now its time to pay the price!" The exorcist laughed in a rather demented fashion before flourishing a large silver pistol and what appeared to be a... light saber?

Where the hell did this guy get a light saber?

He didn't have time to ponder on the weapon the man was wielding, instead he was forced to leap to the left in an unnatural display of agility and perception as no less than five bullets collided where he was standing moments before.

The Blade of Lucifer once more appeared in his grasp while he began to channel his energy actively instead of allowing it to remain coiled up within him. He was not going to hold back a second time, certainly not against this foul mouthed fool.

A pillar of darkness erupted from a seal that appeared beneath the exorcists feet, though he was a bit quicker than the activation time and dodged before he could be hit. He didn't dodge the second that appeared where he was to land.

The Mudo spell tore through the exorcists sword wielding arm like a knife through butter, causing the offending limb to drop to the ground and rapidly decay.

The roar of agony and perhaps anger that greeted Minato was one he was expecting. Pushing his advantage, Minato raced forward with his blade poised to take his opponents head from his shoulder.

The Blade of Lucifer dug in to the metal of the silver gun his opponent wielded with his only remaining arm, the exorcist having blocked his attack at the last second. A second blow was blocked in much the same way, though the crimson blade was doing far too much damage to the handgun for his opponent to keep blocking his attacks.

Upon the third blow, the exorcists gun was cut in two. His blade pushed deep into the arm of his opponent, bisecting his remaining hand and forearm. The blood that gushed from the wound caused the ground beneath the two to become slick and turn to mud.

The exorcist continued his deranged screaming as a large purple portal appeared behind him. "You fucking freak! Watch your back, ass hole, Ill be back with more weapons and a new arm! Then your gonna get skull fucked!"

Dispossessed eyes watched as his opponent stumbled blearily through the portal while a third Mudo spell erupted from behind him. The purple and black beam of deathly energy tore through the air and followed the exorcist through the portal, though he was unsure if the attack landed due to lack of visual of his opponent.

The portal abruptly closed afterwards, leaving Minato alone in the clearing with blood covering his face and a large portion of the front of his clothing. A frown appeared on his face as he surveyed his blood stained white shirt, having ruined a second one in just a week.

He was about to depart when he remembered the now skeletal arm laying off to the side, along with the blade wielded by the exorcist, whom he never got the name of. Reaching down, Minato removed the weapon from the hand of the skeletal remains and studied the handle for a few moments.

The Arisato was unaware of how the weapon worked, but he was sure he would figure it out sooner than later.

A quick Agidyne spell burned the bones of the exorcists arm to ash, which he then covered up by scuffing up the earth around him to mix it in with the soil. He did the same for the puddle of blood that was left behind when he bisected the forearm of the exorcist, not wanting anyone to stumble across the scene of his battle. The handle to the blade was placed in his coat pocket opposite of his Evoker as soon as he was sure no one would be any wiser of what occurred.

Turning away from the scene in the forest, Minato made his way to the river to clean the blood from his face and dispose of the ruined shirt while making plans to purchase clothing outside of his uniforms. He could not afford to keep ruining the only white shirts he owned, at least not at the rate he was now.

It was almost as bad as when he attended Gekkoukan.

 **[EX]**

Freed Sellzen was in a really bad position, and he knew that if he did not get help soon, he would perish from blood loss.

"Raynare, you useless bitch, get in here!"

As soon as the words left his lips, Freed was forced to fall to the ground face first to dodge the black and purple beam of energy that erupted from the portal behind him.

The beam collided with the far wall of the room he was in, causing it to collapse into rubble and splinters from the force of the impact. Soon afterwards, the rubble and wooden fragments began to decay at a rapid pace until all that remained was dust and sand.

"What the hell was that!" A voice shouted from behind the fallen exorcist, causing him to weakly lift his head to look at the speaker.

"That was an attack from that shitty fucking Devil you told me to track down and kill! Guess what bitch?! HE WASN'T FUCKING WEAK!"

"Or you are weaker than weak." Raynare voiced as she slowly walked around the downed body of Freed, a sneer on her face. "Pick yourself up, Freed, you look pathetic."

"I would if I fucking could! That fucking freak fucked up both of my arms!" The white haired exorcist bellowed as he squirmed his body as best he could to roll over onto his back. After a few minutes of struggling, he shakily rose to his feet, only to stumble forward into a pew that had been kicked up due to the explosion of dark energy.

He turned his eyes downwards to stare at the stump that was once his left arm and the mangled mess that was his right, panic in his eyes. Two other exorcists moved forward and did their best to help their superior after Raynare began barking orders at her underlings to take care of his wounds.

A dark smile crossed the lips of the Fallen Angel as Freed was hauled from the center of the now further ruined church. She cast her eyes to the heavens as the sun began to set, and the smile grew wider.

'Soon, _she_ will be here and the next phase of my plan will come to fruition.'


	5. The Devil you know

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter 5, the Devil you know**_

 _ **A Persona and DxD Crossover**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously._

 _As the kind youngmark has pointed out, I have skewed the timeline of P3. Minato and Junpei are Juniors while Mitsuru and Akihiko were Seniors. I don't remember what year Koromaru was in, tbh. Damn dog was smart._

 _As you can tell, it was not intentional. I, however, am going to roll with it. Already have an idea on how to deal with a heartbreaking moment surrounding Minatos time in Gekkoukan, too._

 _I do not know how I did it, but lets assume that for some unearthly reason, third years, second years and first years share a mixed homeroom._

 _For some reason._

 _It has been a few years since I've graduated and I did NOT have a homeroom I had to attend in the mornings. Students in Japan do, I guess. Go figure._

 _On another note, while Minato elevates his 'Family' above all else, he is not going to be rude unless given a reason. He is selfish in the sense that he puts his group above himself, and that he only sacrificed himself because it would keep them safe. He isn't about to let any sort of God or Demon take them from him. He could be considered both Selfless, and Selfish._

 _Would you tell a cute girl no when she asks/bribes you for sweets?_

 _Yes? Good, you are smarter than Minato._

 **[EX]**

It was another day of 'Minato Watching' as Koneko dubbed it. Rias was not sure what was going through the girls mind, but she had started bribing an unknown entity for candy at the request that she did not follow him home. He may not have said or confirmed those were his intentions, but Koneko had a feeling it would not be a good idea to push it.

The younger sister of the current Lucifer agreed with the sentiment. That was why she had her familiar do it for her in her Rooks stead. She found him on the third floor of a new set of apartments built in the center of town, not far from the library Sona frequented. He did not own anything outside of a few pieces of furniture, the bat easily able to see into the apartment from two angles through the window.

He had no decorations, no personalization. He had a book on mythological figures left on his coffee table and that was it. Nothing else. No photographs of family or friends. No trophies, or memoirs on the shelves. He did not even own a television. It was like he was a wanderer, who only owned the clothes on his back and the books in his bag.

It made absolutely no sense. His transfer papers came back positive, his background, everything about him was there. But it wasn't. They were all forgeries as far as Sona could tell, as there was no evidence that he existed in things such as year books.

No teacher from his previous schools could say they recalled seeing him, yet he was in the records as having attended. It was a very good forgery, but it was the fact that no one remembered him that led Sona to conclude that his entire background was fake.

All the Gremory could gather is that he has 'no grievance' with the Devils. He indicated he knew that Koneko and the rest of the Occult Research Club were Devils, or inhuman at the very least, with the 'You and Yours' of the statement.

He could have been confused for a human himself if not for that aura he let off, the energy he had coiled deep in his body. She wouldn't have felt it if not for the dark affinity it held, that harrowing darkness that lingered in his wake.

He was no human. He couldn't be. Yet he acted as if he were. No human wizard, no matter how adept in dark arts, gave off that kind of energy. It was not mana, or prana, or chakra, or even vril. Akeno could not identify just what type of energy it was he subtly leaked out. It was not Holy, that much was certain, nor was it the tainted light that the Fallen wielded. It was no Sacred Gear, either. There was no type of Sacred Gear that could grant its user that type of energy.

But it was not Devil Magic. It held different undercurrents, like only the surface threads were that desolate dark while the fabric beneath was different. No Devil at Kuoh Academy knew what to think.

All they knew is that he was not hostile unless provoked. That was good enough for her, for the time being. She had already made plans to approach him soon enough. If he proved to be a threat in any way, her brother was but a phone call away.

That was, of course, after she dealt with one small issue first.

Like the Fallen that was trying to get close with a pervert she wanted to recruit to her Peerage.

 **[EX]**

Koneko was becoming more bold in her stalking, to the point that it could not even be considered stalking. Stalking inferred that someone was hiding their intentions, or at the very least doing it to intimidate someone. Minato didn't know what to make of it. She did not ask him any questions, nor anything of the sort. Neither did he ask her any questions, either. They seemed to hold a mutual silence that was, while comfortable, unnerving.

After a while, he felt that she was not walking with him to spy on him. Instead, she was curious as to what type of person he was. Minato felt there was something entirely wrong with the situation, if only for the fact that the Devils around him were sincere in their kindness to their peers.

Sure, there were some darker emotions that would sometimes show themselves, especially in the black haired female that had been dubbed one of the 'Great Ladies of Kuoh', but nothing that would make them any different than a normal teenager.

The blond Devil, the only male of the Gremory Group as he had dubbed the five Devils Koneko associated with, was not malicious when he turned down whatever female worked up the courage to approach him for the day. Instead, he gave his sorry for not being able to hang out, and excused himself from their presence with a smile. It was not a fake smile, in the least. He seemed amused, and even flattered that so many teenagers were throwing themselves at him.

Rias, the crimson haired Devil that he assumed was Koneko's leader, would smile at the various boys that would proclaim their love of her, and turn them down politely. It was almost vexing, Minato thought, that he could not bring himself to hate or even really dislike the group of Devils that had been eying him since he was enrolled in Kuoh. Causing him discomfort with their wandering eyes could be annoying, but certainly not enough to truly anger him.

His rounds around town when not in the presence of Koneko revealed that they were actively in contact with multiple different people, human people, very regularly. What they did was beyond him, but considering the frequent visits, it did not seem to be violent in nature. You can't visit the same people two to three times in a week if they were dead. He was sure he had even seen the petite Devil carrying around a long haired man bridal style, like some sort of heroic knight who rescued the princess.

He did not want to know. He really didn't.

It was when she brought HIM sweets that he grew worried. The look on her face was almost pained, like she was parting with a dear friend.

"Why?"

Koneko shrugged her shoulders in response. When he did not move to take the offered sweets, she elaborated. "As thanks... for buying me sweets." And not telling her to leave him alone. She didn't need to say the last part for him to infer her meaning.

Minato was not about to tell the girl that he did not enjoy sweets in the slightest when he noticed it. It was almost as if it were a figment of his imagination, but when it happened again, it confirmed his fears.

Her lips quivered. She might cry. She might cry, and draw the attention of the crowd of students that lingered almost painfully around the two. His reputation was not something he cared about, but he would be all the more unapproachable if he were to make the 'Mascot' of Kuoh as some of the more vocal students had dubbed her cry.

She was doing it on purpose.

He took the offered sweets wordlessly before looking into the bag. In it were all of her favorites, which he had deduced from what she ate first and what she ate last from the different amount of candies he had spent his money on in the past week and a half.

He felt bad about it, so he looked up at the girl just to triple check that she was really giving him candy when he saw it.

The hopeful look in her eyes.

That was when Minato understood the underlying meaning of the offered sweets. She was asking to be friends. A Devil wanted to have rapport with him, and it was not a Persona under his command.

Well, when she put it like that... he supposed he would prefer the Devil he knew, than the Devil he did not. He nodded his head to the younger female and did his best to hide his discomfort. He had eventually befriended his fellow SEES members even while the world was threatening to come to a screeching halt. He supposed he could afford to form some sort of conversant while he waited for the event that could potentially end this one as well.

"Share?" He wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a statement or a question, but he said the word anyways. He figured it was the right thing to say when the girl nodded almost vigorously.

They departed for homeroom afterwards, and for lunch, Minato had his normal prepackaged bento with dessert in the form of chocolates.

It was almost pleasant.

 **[EX]**

Koneko was pleased. She had at first only been curious about the strange being that was capable of making a Fallen Angel, no matter how weak, flee in terror at the sight of his spell.

When she had first started following him at the behest of her King, it had been slightly begrudgingly. Koneko had to cancel one of her weekly contracts to tail the figure that had transferred to her school, though she quickly got over it when she successfully talked... bribed him into buying her sweets.

Afterwards, she continued to bribe him throughout the span of a week, and not once did he show irritation. He didn't show anything. It was as if he was just going through the motions, but she knew better. He was just very, very, VERY good at hiding his feelings.

He wore his mask of apathy better than even her. She shuddered to think of the type of life he would have to live to cause his eyes to appear as dead as they were. That was when she decided that she would offer him something she had during her darkest hours. A friend.

Rias had offered her refuge, kind words and friendship, even as broken as she was at the time of the Nekoshou Massacre.

Koneko would offer Minato the same kindness, if only in the form of friendship.

When he accepted the bag of sweets and locked eyes with her, she knew that he understood what she was offering. She was expecting him to hand the bag of sweets back.

Instead, he shared those same sweets with her during lunch after he motioned for her to follow him to the roof to eat. She was glad she had worked up the courage to extend an olive branch. She would thank Kiba for the advice later.

 **[EX]**

Yuuto Kiba knew that Minato would accept the offering of kindness. He could tell that despite all of his stoicism, the blue haired transfer student masquerading as a Human was a kind soul. He watched from the back of the crowd at the sweet moment the two shared over, ironically, sweets, and a smile crossed his face. He ignored the swooning, hormonal teenagers that seemed to follow him everywhere he went as the two departed into the crowd and he knew he did good.

He did real good.

Now if only he could approach the blue haired enigma himself. He saw the Blade Minato wielded from the photographs Koneko had taken from his conflict with the Fallen Angel that he made run scared like a rat.

He wanted to know where in the hell he came across the most infamous Demon Blade that had ever existed, the very sword that Kiba had spent the passed three years researching to no avail. The very Sword that had disappeared with the death of its owner a thousand years prior, Lucifer himself.

 **[EX]**

Hyoudou Issei was having a good day. No, he was having a GREAT day. He was asked out by a girl named Amano Yuuma, and he couldn't have been happier. He wouldn't die a dateless virgin!

Of course, his thoughts were always as depraved as his actions, thus he came to the conclusion that perhaps his dreams of having a Harem were off to a great start. Yuuma was certainly a looker for someone as shy as she was.

The two had been enjoying their date together, having already seen a movie and had a small lunch when they decided to head to the park for a bit of sight seeing. Standing around the fountain, the two stared deeply into each others eyes and Issei knew he had found someone he could love. Someone he could call his own.

"Issei...?"

"Yeah? Whats up Yuuma?" The brown haired teenager questioned, his face lighting up now that his date had broken her small spell of silence, "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Oh yes, I am... but I have a small favor to ask of you..." The amethyst eyed beauty began, her small smile becoming far more pronounced. Becoming more... vicious.

"Will you die for me?"

What...?

Issei had to do a double take as the figure that was once Yuuma became something... more. Something dark. Black wings unfurled from behind her back and feathers began to fall around the two. Her clothing was replaced by the most risque, racy outfit Issei ever had the pleasure of seeing a beautiful woman wear.

"Whoa, I didn't know you were into Cosplay! I am OKAY WITH THIS!" Issei shouted to the heavens in joy upon seeing what the girl was wearing. Sure, the wings looked a bit more real than they had any right to, but who the hell was he to complain when he had a woman in leather asking him... to... die for her?

Wait... what?

"Die for you?" Issei stammered out while taking a step backwards, a bead of sweat trailing his face.

"It has been fun, wasting these past few hours listening to your perverse ramblings, but I am short on time. I will treasure this gift you have bought for me... now, time to die."

A crimson spear of light formed on her hands and she stabbed forward, and stabbed true. The spear tore its way through the chest of Issei before dissipating, causing an eruption of blood to gush from the massive wound. It would surely be fatal.

"I'm sorry, but you were too great a risk factor to us, so you had to be... terminated. If you must blame someone... Blame God for sealing that Sacred Gear inside of you." The Fallen Angel stated with a smug grin on her face. She was about to depart after Issei fell unto his back when a crimson blade tore through the air at extreme speeds and buried itself up to the hilt in her stomach.

Looking down at the blade, Raynare attempted to wrench the offending weapon from her body when crimson bolts of lightning erupted from the blade and scored multiple trails of wounds upon her flesh with its unholy power. Blood began to gush from her lips when she brought her head up after feeling an absolutely monstrous energy coming from before her. Deep vibrations made their way throughout the entire park as the sound of rattling chains grew closer and closer to where the dying Issei lay.

Shadows all around the two began to churn and writhe in a nightmarish manner before stretching towards the sound of the chains.

That was when she saw IT.

Standing in the tree line was the most terrifying visage she had ever laid her eyes upon.

The Face of Death.

 **[EX]**

Minato had been minding his own business relaxing in the park when he felt a disturbance in the air. It gave off the same feeling that Dohnaseek did, only stronger. Not very much so, but it was enough to alert him to the presence of another Fallen Angel in the same area as him.

He was going to ignore the presence so long as they did the same for him when he heard it. The sound of rending flesh and cruel laughter. Of terror, and no small amount of pain.

He did not recognize the figure with the cruel laughter, but he knew that cry of pain. It was one of the very same cries of pain that he was used to hearing from one of the members of the Perverted Trio whenever they were caught in their atrocious acts of spying upon the flesh of their classmates.

In particular, it was the cry of Hyoudou Issei, and it was no mere flesh wound that caused it.

He rushed from his resting position while calling upon the energy of Thanatos that he had become most familiar with during his time in this world. The chains that had first coiled around him protectively against Dohnaseek once more erupted from the earth and wrapped themselves around his body while the Coffins that acted like wings settled around his shoulders.

Crimson, purple and black shadows coalesced around his body until he was nothing more than a solid black figure with circular silver eyes as his only defining feature. His clothing lost their details as did his hair, all blending in with the light absorbing darkness that clung to him like a second skin.

His pace picked up at the release of his tightly coiled energy and Thanatos answered his call with glee. No Evoker was needed to pull the Death God from his Sea of Souls. Their bond was that of Master and Servant, and Death served him faithfully.

The Blade of Lucifer appeared in his hand for a mere moment before he launched it forward like a missile. His aim true, it roared through the tree line and buried itself in the figure that stood triumphantly over the rapidly dying super pervert known as Hyoudou Issei.

He saw red.

The chains that coiled around him sprung forward with a life of their own, not unlike a snake, to strike out at the heavily wounded Fallen. Something seemed to snap her out of her pained haze, as she quickly rose to the sky on shaky wings to get out of range of the steel links that threatened to bind her.

Minato was about to summon the ultimate Dark Spell, one of his own creation, when he realized that any form of death based attack would rob the bleeding out teen at his feet of his already shortened life.

He felt a calling deep within his Sea of Souls from a being he was not familiar in summoning, but familiar from fighting. Nodding his head almost minutely at the unasked question posed by the being, Minato raised his right hand to the sky.

The Blade of Lucifer disappeared from its position lodged in the body of the Fallen as another crimson flash appeared in the hands of the deathly figure of Minato.

A revolver with a two foot long barrel appeared from that crimson flash, and as soon as it came, it was aimed directly at the face of the trembling enemy that dared to attack one of his Human classmates.

" **D** i **e.** "


	6. The Devil you don't

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter 6, The Devil you don't {Last Surprise}**_

 _ **A Persona and DxD Crossover**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously._

 _To Aetemus, I only have to say that the best type of Kill is Overkill._

 _Also, this story may start Minato at his Maximum Potential from the Persona World, but in the realm of DxD, he still has the ability to reach even greater heights. Especially now that he has the Universe Arcana._

 _His current skill set is just formulating, he has a long way to grow before we see the end. Do not worry._

 **[EX]**

Issei watched through bleary eyes as the black, static-like figure loomed over him while aiming the largest gun he had ever seen at Yuuma, or whomever she truly was. Like his own avenging angel.

He stared at his shaky hands, covered in the life giving fluid that pumped through his body, so thick and sticky on his skin that it made him feel ill. He thought of his classmate, Rias Gremory, and her hair. That crimson hair that was so much like the blood that slicked his hands. He wouldn't have minded dying in her arms, not in the least.

It were those thoughts that summoned that very being to his side.

The crimson flash of a seal erupted beside the wounded teenager and from that light appeared a fearful looking Rias who had been at her Peerages side when she felt the oppressive energy she knew was Minatos' roil through the land itself, many blocks away from her position in the Club Room.

Her familiar had only just appeared, warning her that Issei had been spotted in the park when Raynare revealed her true form. When she felt the contract that had been given to Issei by her familiar activate, she knew she had to respond. If not, Issei would permanently die and she would lose any chance she had at breaking off her engagement to Riser Phenex.

She snapped her head up at the black figure of Minato who stood with his proverbial hackles raised above the dying boy she wanted to recruit. She saw him in all of his dark glory and the pitch black that suffused through the air, emanating from him. The coffins that hovered around him, the angels engraved upon them crying tears of crimson. She saw the chains that acted as if they were vicious serpents, each moving to an individual rhythm that she was not privy to.

She saw Death Incarnate, for there was only one being with a visage that black with circular, silver eyes in all of the many different Mythologies. It was seeing him for her own eyes that she remembered the stories she was told when she was young, of the being that made even her Brother, Sirzechs Lucifer, tread with extreme caution.

He left nothing but his namesake in his wake, no matter which side of the Great War you happened to fall on.

You would never see him coming, but you would certainly hear him. The rattling of chains denoted his presence, and caused many beings to flee at the sound in terror. Deities, Angels, Demons, Fallen, Devils, even Buddhas, they all fell to his hand. He had disappeared at the end of the Great War, yet there was still Death in the world.

This was the very being that had been around as long as Life itself, after all. There were rumors that he might have been sealed away by the God of the Bible, and that it was only his agent known as The Reaper who had continued his work in his stead, a being that made the "Grim Reapers' under Hades look like a fly on the face of the Sun.

It appears that the rumors of his sealing may have been exaggerated.

The sound of multiple gunshots rang through the clearing followed by screams of pain, and then a thud.

Rattling chains once again sounded out as they stretched forward from his back and wrapped around the Fallen Angel viciously. The sound of breaking bones filled the air followed by even more bellows of pain, the Fallen Angels voice eventually cracking towards the end. The chains pulled Raynare close, close, closer until she was hoisted face to face with who Rias identified as Death.

" **Y** o **u** w **i** l **l** b **e** c **o** m **i** n **g** w **i** t **h** m **e**."

Raynare, barely clinging to life, tried to spit in his face in response. It dribbled down her chin as she coughed at the last second. She knew she would die. Dohnaseek was correct, Death really was in Kuoh. She should have fled when she could, but she got greedy and now she would pay the price of her folly. She would be damned if she begged for her life, though.

"Kokabiel will... come for me..." She weakly ground out through clenched teeth, blood staining the once pearly white fangs crimson.

" **L** e **t** h **i** m."

Minato did not fear any Fallen Angel. He had no reason to. Instead, he would make an example of the being that had dared to attack a... 'innocent' Human in his presence, no matter how perverse and depraved he was. He was not so selfish that he wouldn't come to the rescue of a classmate in distress, no matter repulsive Minato found his personality. No one deserved to be robbed of their life by beings beyond them.

And just like that, his chains tore her wings from her back. Two black appendages flopped to the ground and shuddered once before falling still. A flash of red light later and the wounds on her back and stomach were forcefully cauterized and her two wings began to burn.

Raynare passed out soon afterwards from the pain and the blood loss. The chains binding her gained multiple seals across their lengths and one particular section of chains wrapped its way around her throat. The lock that appeared on the chain bore a symbol Rias had never seen before, though she was not well versed in seals to begin with.

The coffin to his furthest right opened up slowly. Eight ghostly white hands shot forward, wrapped themselves around the bound Fallen Angel and drug her into the coffin before it slammed shut.

That was when he turned his terrifying, hollow eyes upon Rias.

" **A** n **d** w **h** a **t** d **o** y **o** u **t** h **i** n **k** y **o** u **a** r **e** d **o** i **n** g **?** "

 **[EX]**

His dual tone voice rang through the clearing, a sick rasp to his normally monotonous tone. Rias felt her heart beating in her throat.

"D-Death-Dono! I... I can... bring him back!"

She finally finished her sentence after struggling to speak after a few moments. He seemed to be coiled protectively over the boy, but that protectiveness was not extended to her, who lay holding the dying body of Issei close to her chest. It was from his actions and his stature that she figured that he came to the rescue of Issei, though it was a bit too late to prevent his premature demise.

He did not seem to have a mouth to speak, but she heard him loud and clear regardless.

" **A** n **d** h **o** w **d** o **y** o **u** p **l** a **n** t **o** d **o** t **h** a **t**?"

She tried to steel herself in the presence of the being before her, but she felt it hard to breath. To think. To see, to even exist within the same space as the thing Minato had become.

"I can.. bring him back.. as a Devil!"

She began to panic as the wide, circular eyes seemed to grow bigger as he sized her up. Without warning, the blackness that covered his skin retracted inwards until Minato stood in Deaths place once more, Seven of his coffins and the chains around him began to flake away and dissolve like ash in the wind. The coffin containing Raynare sunk into the ground through a black and purple portal that opened up beneath it.

She thought he was going to allow Issei's resurrection.

That was until the brightest light she ever bore witness to exploded from his right hand.

" _Samarecarm."_

From the sky, a pillar of light slammed into the brown haired teenager, though it did not damage him in any form. White feathers descended around the pillar and settled around Issei in a perfect circle, while a massive, seven pointed star began to engrave itself upon the ground in white light. Green light soon replaced the soft white light and the pillar of light disappeared.

The teenager began to float above the seal as the green light grew stronger, and soon enough, the wounds that had appeared on his chest closed up at an extremely accelerated pace and his lungs once again began to inflate and deflate.

Minato had felt that Issei's spark of life was barely holding on, and it was thanks to that source of Draconian like energy that dwelled within his left hand. Whatever the source of energy belonged to, it tried its best to prevent its owners death by sacrificing its energy to sustain him.

It was the crimson scales that appeared on Issei's chest in place of his wound that let Minato know that he was correct in his assumption, and that Issei would live. Rias watched as he did something she did not know Death was capable of. He had stoked the spark of life deep within Issei until it was a roaring inferno once more. He granted a dying man life.

He turned his gaze to Rias, and she took a few steps back.

" _If he wishes to be a Devil, let that choice be his own._ "

 **[EX]**

Minato sat impatiently within the 'Club Room' as Rias dubbed the building located on the outskirts of Kuoh Academy. He was requested to follow Rias to allow the Gremory to explain herself further.

The resting body of Issei was strewn across her couch, having been placed there by the Gremory herself after the three had returned to the academy grounds by foot. A few passersby had tried to ask if his 'friend' was alright, but quick applications of illusions by Rias had caused the trip to go by without incident.

"Where would you like me to begin, Death-Dono?" Rias finally questioned, causing the eyes of her peerage members to widen exponentially.

'Death-Dono?'

"I am not 'Death', I am Minato." He tried to explain, but the flat look he received in turn showed that he could not convince the Devil otherwise. The way her shoulders squared and her head tilted back, like she knew who he was better than he himself knew.

It grated on his nerves, and it must have shown because she quickly amended her posture.

"Minato-Dono, then."

"No, stop. Minato. Just Minato."

She stared at him as if it were the first time she had ever seen him before she nodded her head.

"Minato... where would you like me to begin?" Rias eventually questioned while typing a message to her brother with her phone under the table. Minato showed no sign of knowing, or caring of that fact.

"Why did you decide to appear in the park and pick up the dying body of Hyoudou-San?" Minato questioned while his head tilted to the left. The look in his eyes told Rias that she had better tread carefully with how she answered him.

"He... he summoned me through a contract that was in his coat pocket. His last thoughts were of me, to be held in my arms while he died. I was going to bring him back as a Devil in my Peerage."

Minato believed her. His final moments were very much the same.

"And what is a Peerage?"

She looked conflicted before answering. "Using an Evil Piece, we can resurrect the living or the deceased as Devils. The Evil Pieces are like chess pieces, and can increase the strength, speed or magic reserves of whomever is resurrected. The holder of these pieces fall under the command of the holder of the King piece."

He continued to regard the girl before him as he crossed his left leg over his right and leaned back further in the rather comfortable chair he sat in. A tea cup was placed before him, causing him to turn to regard the black haired Devil known as Akeno. She raised the expensive looking tea pot in her hands and he nodded in response.

He rather enjoyed the smell and taste of western teas.

He brought the steaming cup of tea to his lips and he sipped at it gently, his eyes turning downwards into the reflective pool of liquid.

He saw circular, silver eyes staring back at him in his reflection.

Those eyes, that face... they reminded him so much of Pharos, of Ryoji that it hurt.

"When Hyoudou-san wakes, and he shall soon, you may propose your offer to him. Should he be unwilling, that will be that." The threat hung in the air, unrevealed but present.

If Issei, or any Human, were to cast aside what made them Human willingly... he would not begrudge them their decision. There is more to Humanity than being Human, as one of the Devils sitting in the same room as he had shown him with a simple offer of sweets.

Humanity was the will to be kind, courteous, the will to protect the Bonds that are forged either in Fire or Love. Humanity was so much more than simply being Human.

Rias did not seem bothered by the fact, as she already had a back up plan to get the boy to join her that could not, would not fail. It involved mentioning a few key words he would love to hear. Legal, and Harem.

The groaning that came from the once dying teenager almost caused Minato to drop his face into his palms.

Of course the pervert would be having a wet dream, now of all times.

The flat look shared between Koneko and himself let Minato know that she was of much the same thought process.

 **[EX]**

Deep within the Underworld, two separate meetings were being held, and both were for the same reason.

In the city of Lilith, Capitol of the Devil Faction, four figures were seated around a round table with troubled looks on each of their faces.

In the North facing chair sat Sirzechs Lucifer, elder brother of Rias Gremory and leader of the Four Great Satans, the current leaders of the Devil Faction. He was the one who had called for the meeting after receiving a rather ominous message from his sister via text message. The only reason he was standing around and not rushing to her aid was because she assured him that she was not in danger.

Death was sitting in her club room, and she was not in danger. He didn't want to believe her, but she insisted. Someone that shouldn't, couldn't be back, was. Sirzechs remembered the day he was sealed and had regretted it since.

His childhood rival and one of his best friends, Ajuka Beelzebub, sat to his right. The green haired man was tinkering with a chess piece in his hand while idly listening to Sirzechs read out Rias' text message to the three others present at the meeting.

Falbium Asmodeus, the leader of the Devils Military and fellow Satan was unusually alert for the meeting. It was to be expected, however, considering who the meeting was about. A being that, in his prime, made Hades, one of the current top ten existences and his 'Grim Reapers' look like insects. They could remember the day he was supposedly sealed away by the God of the Bible. It was just days before Trihexa had been sealed away at the End of the World that Death, too, disappeared from the world and it was the Angels who had proclaimed him defeated.

They were very clearly mistaken in that proclamation.

Serafall Leviathan was practically frothing at the mouth in worry of her little sister, and it was only the fact that Sirzechs was remaining calm that kept her from making her own daring rescue of her beloved sister from Kuoh. That did not mean she had to be okay with the fact that Death was once more walking amongst mortal beings.

Sirzechs began to read the text aloud again, this time seemingly to himself as he tried to comprehend what his little sister was trying to tell him.

 _'Sirzechs, Death is in my clubroom right now. Has not proven to be hostile to Devils currently. Pretends to be a Human named Arisato Minato. Blue hair, grey eyes. Average height. Has a Fallen Angel as a hostage. Protected Sacred Gear wielder I have been watching. Brought him back to life. Will text more later.'_

Attached to the text were three different images of who she claimed was Death, and Sirzechs knew without a doubt that she was correct. He was missing the metal jaw bone-like headpiece that he wore during the Great War, as well as his large blue trench coat, but the current Lucifer would know that being and those coffins anywhere.

He had faced off against him and barely survived to complain about it. The phantom pains he felt where his scars lingered more than attested to that.

It was the fact that he was posing as a Human, and protecting a Sacred Gear user from, he assumed, the Fallen Angel that he held hostage that confused him. The fact that he brought someone back from the dead, considering granting Life was not something that Death should be capable of doing, also worried him greatly. Returning souls from the Land of the Dead, maybe, but not bringing someone literally back to life.

"Looks like I am going to be taking a trip to Kuoh soon. Real soon."

Serafalls' eyes lit up before Sirzechs held up his hand to stop her.

"This will be business only. No pleasure." The serious tone in which he spoke instead of his carefree manner was what tipped Serafall off, as well as the other Satans, that this 'Business Trip' might turn into a 'Violence Trip' and quickly.

"How do you think he got out of the Seal?" Falbium questioned, his brows furrowed, "And why now?"

Sirzechs did not answer. He couldn't, for he did not know. Speculating would get them nowhere. Tomorrow, he would find out. His heart began to pound a bit, knowing that it could go south if he didn't play his cards right. He remembered his temper almost too damn well. 'How long has it been, now?'

He sent a text back to Rias to let this 'Minato' character know that Lucifer wants to speak with him.

She responded back a few minutes later with a very short, very simple message.

'He laughed.'

 **[EX]**

Hades felt the stirrings in the Land of the Dead before he felt the pulse of extremely familiar energy that began to suffuse through the air. Over the past week, he had felt faint tremors in his domain that reminded him of an old nemesis, but when that pitch blackness once again began to pour from the Seal in the middle of his Throne Room, he knew it had happened.

The event he had been assured would never happen.

Death, the Original Death, had returned to the world. Hades had given the God of the Bible the seals needed to put the mad dog down for good in his own pocket dimension, but it seems that even the Leader of Heaven was incapable of truly sealing away one of the beings that had been around since the Dawn of Time permanently. He was around long before Hades, who had spent his days as a fresh Diety hearing stories of the wroth of the being and his vicious ways.

The best laid plans of Mice and Men often go awry, as he had learned from experience.

That was why he was going to correct his mistake, personally. He would die before he gave this throne back to its rightful King.

 **[EX]**

"Are you certain that is what you saw?"

"Yes, Azazel-Sama. Positive. Raynare is now hostage to Death."

A deep frown appeared on the face of the Governor of the Grigori as he laced his fingers before his face. He leaned forward and pressed his elbows against the wooden desk before him.

"You are dismissed, Mittelt, Kalawarner. Welcome Home."

As soon as the door clicked shut, Azazel pulled open the bottom-most drawer and pulled out a bottle of his secret stash of moonshine. Instead of a shot glass, he reached straight for a glass and filled it to the brim before rapidly chugging the clear liquid.

"Back again... eh, Old Friend?"


	7. A Call from Beyond

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter 7, A Call from Beyond**_

 _ **A Persona and DxD Crossover**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously._

 _Also, p5's sound track is funky fresh. Hypnos is the TWIN of Thanatos. That is all._

 **[EX]**

Minato was making his way up the stairs that led to his apartment when he saw him. Standing in his doorway with his arms crossed was a man with dual colored hair, his bangs blond while the rest was a peculiar shade of brown. He gave off the presence of a Fallen, that tainted light they seemed to wield, but it was the size of his magical signature that let Minato know he might have an actual fight on his hands for once.

"Are you Kokabiel?" Minato questioned while the Reapers Revolver appeared in his right hand. He knew it would be best to engage at a distance before closing in, and he did not much feel like destroying his only home with any of his stronger spells.

"Whoa, whoa, put the gun down Kid, I come in peace!" The Fallen said with a frown on his face, both hands raising into the air to show as much. "My name is Azazel, Governor General of the Grigori, and I believe you have someone that belongs to me."

Minato stared at he man for a few moments before nodding his head and motioning the man away from his door so he could unlock the barrier and enter his home. The two found themselves in Minatos' living room soon after, Azazel sitting on the couch while Minato sat back in the recliner.

"Tell me... do your adjuncts often go around killing innocent Human beings?"

Azazel had to suppress the urge to sigh at the tone of voice Minato took. "You have to believe me when I say that I had no hand in that. It was only brought to my attention tonight that I had traitors in my midst."

Minato motioned for the man to continue with his left hand.

"That name you mentioned, Kokabiel... He was a high ranking member of the Grigori. Fourth highest, and the leader of my Military Branch. It seems the cadre of Fallen that he kept around him betrayed their kin, though what his goals are I do not know, yet."

Minato was not pleased to hear that there was a group of Fallen that existed outside of the Cease Fire he came to understand had fallen over the land.

"You want your rogue Fallen back?" Minato questioned after a few more moments of silence, his silver eyes piercing the darkness looming around the two. When Azazel nodded, Minato leaned forward and the Fallen could see the pure determination on his face.

"There is information I am looking for. Tell me, what do you know of beings that have been sealed away that might bring about Armageddon?"

Azazel straightened up and almost snarled, "Why would you want to know that? What could you possibly need to know that for?"

"Because it is my purpose to make sure That Event never comes to pass."

 **[EX]**

Issei had chosen to become a Devil. Minato was not present for the affair, but he learned through Koneko that it was a willing transition. A VERY willing transition. Her irritation at the subject of Issei let Minato know that he shouldn't press for a more elaborate answer and accept it for what it was.

The presence of a sixth Devil in his homeroom did not bother him in the slightest, especially with the knowledge that the Devils were at the very least friendly. It was the heightened perverse chatter that did.

Minato had finally had enough of the vacuous ramblings of the pervert by third block.

Minato turned his torso and neck until he was facing almost directly behind him, and silver met chocolate eyes. The message was gotten soon enough, as Issei had snapped his mouth shut and made a motion of zipping it in a nervous manner.

Minato continued to stare the teenager down until he returned his gaze to the front of the room, but not before hearing the snickering of a few students who had witnessed the silent reprimand, most likely from his small group of male and female "followers".

He had gained a small following after the day Koneko offered him sweets, along with his own nickname in the process. He shuddered when he thought about it, but he supposed it was better than having a negative reputation. It was also apparently common for 'popular' figures to have such a posse, something Minato had no recollection of during his time at Gekkoukan.

While quite a few of the more vocal students had grown to dislike him due to his 'closeness' to Koneko, the unofficial Mascot of Kuoh, those who supported him outweighed them to the point that quite a few scuffles had occurred in the hallways as the two passed by with the 'Anti-Prince' group sporting more bruises than their opponents.

"Sweet Prince!"

Minato was making his way to the Library when he was approached by a smiling Yuuto Kiba, his fellow 'Prince of Kuoh'.

"Don't call me that." Minato murmured while turning to face the blond Devil, his right eyebrow twitching once. While he was very secure with himself, he did not like having another male call him 'Sweet Prince'. At all.

Kiba seemed to take it as a joke until he noticed the blank face of Minato. His laughter broke off into an uneasy cough before he corrected himself. "Minato-Senpai, the President is requesting your presence in the Club Room. Did you already forget?"

Minato tilted his head to the side at the question while wracking his mind for what he could have possibly forgotten. "Be more specific, please."

Kiba nodded lightly before elaborating. "Lucifer-Sama is waiting to speak with you."

Minato was taken aback at the statement for a moment before motioning Kiba to lead the way with his head. 'I thought she was joking when she said "Lucifer".'

 **[EX]**

The Gremory Group quickly made themselves scarce when Minato finally arrived at the Club Room, but not before Koneko shot him a pleading look. He could infer that she was worried for him. He was touched, but the worry was not needed. He just placed his hand on her shoulder and gently pat down as he passed.

He did not want his only friend in this world to stress over something out of her control.

The man he came face to face with inside the Occult Research Club Room was not the Lucifer he knew. He made sure to iterate that.

"You are not who you said you are."

"Yes I am!"

"No, no you are not."

"Yes Huh!"

"Stop. No."

"Can you prove it then!?"

The Blade of Lucifer appeared in his waiting right hand, and baleful crimson lit up the room. The tip of the blade dug into the floor and there rested a sword Sirzechs thought he would never see again. He knew he thought the sword he saw in the pictures looked familiar.

"Where in the HELL did you get that?" The crimson haired man who bore an uncanny resemblance to Rias questioned, his tone shifting to be more serious. The weapon being used like a cane by Minato was a National Treasure as far as Devil Kind was concerned, and no small amount of searching for the blade has occurred over the years since the end of the Great War.

"He gave it to me." Minato answered with a straight face while shrugging his shoulders demurely. He crossed his left leg over his right and once again leaned back in the very same chair he was resting in the day prior.

"Who gave it to you?" The man questioned, leaning forward as if to hear the answer better.

"Lucifer did, of course. The Real Lucifer." Minato was forced to amend his answer at the argumentative look on the Devils face.

"Bullshit. Why would he just GIVE you his sword? How could he have?"

The swelling of Devil energy that had not been felt in a thousand years caused the Devil in the room to fight the urge to collapse into the fetal position. The pitch black portal that appeared in the center of the room caught Sirzechs attention the moment he felt the build up of energy. From that portal rose a coffin that was extremely familiar to the two beings in the room by now.

From that coffin came a figure Sirzechs thought long gone.

Long, platinum blond hair spilled from his horned crown like blankets of light and the purest blue eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness stared deeply into the sea-foam green of Sirzechs, who looked as if he swallowed his tongue. He was also doing his best ghost expression, it seemed, due to the ghastly shade of white he had become.

Six golden angel wings and six black devil wings wrapped protectively around the shoulders and body of Minato as Lucifer lowered himself around the sitting form of the teenager, almost reverently, lovingly. The pressure that was pressing down on Sirzechs eventually lessened when Minato held up his left hand.

It took a few seconds for Sirzechs to regain his bearings. "But... you're dead! I watched you die! How are you here?!"

The smile Lucifer gave could only be described as Devilish.

"I could not bare to hear you slander my Master any longer, Usurper." The melodious voice that twinkled through the air gave Sirzechs chills. "I have arrived from the Sea of Souls to prove you wrong."

Sirzechs stared at Minato as if he just announced himself Holy Pope. Minato, however, acted as if this were an every day occurrence for him. Of course, if the First Fallen was here calling him Master, it would only make sense that he was familiar with the beings presence.

"M... Master?"

The squeaked response from Sirzechs was enough to cause Lucifer to laugh once more, this time maliciously.

"Yes. Young Master here pulled me from the Eternal Darkness that awaited me after my premature death, and through his power, I have risen to new heights. I shall serve him faithfully until the End of Time for his graciousness. His enemies are my enemies. His friends, are mine. My life, is his."

Minato grew very, very uncomfortable at the stare he was receiving from the Devil in the room, to the point that he wished he didn't allow Lucifer this small favor. When the Mourning Star had asked to be summoned upon hearing Sirzechs claim himself to be Lucifer, he thought better of it. When his word was questioned, however, he changed his mind.

 **[EX]**

Sirzechs, as he had learned the crimson haired mans REAL name was, seemed to be the one to finally shift the conversation to a more serious note.

"Let's cut to the chase... Why are you here?" Sirzechs eventually asked, not bothering to face The Devil wrapped protectively around Minato when he posed his question. The two were sitting in silence, amicably, though it was finally broken by Sirzechs after Minato made no indication of speaking.

"You asked me to be."

"That is not what I am talking about, and you know it." Sirzechs fired back, his voice gaining a slight edge to it.

A shrugged shoulder was all the response he got.

"Are you going to answer me?"

"I do not owe you an explanation. My reasons are my own." The look the Original Lucifer gave Sirzechs in that moment let him know that he should amend his line of questioning. He called this meeting thinking it might devolve into a one on one conflict. That line of thinking was obviously dashed. He could not force Death when he had such a being by his side, not alone. Hell, he couldn't even force Death if he WAS alone. Instead, he fell back to diplomacy.

"Please, tell me. I want to, NEED to know why Death of all beings is pretending to be a student in the academy I had built for my little sister years ago."

Minato heard the pleading in his voice and decided to humor him. If he claimed to be Lucifer, then perhaps he could make a deal.

"You have me confused with someone else, but none the less, I have a proposition. An eye for an eye."

"You have questions of your own?" Sirzechs seemed confused. Death was a being even older than him, why would he need information? There was a reason the saying 'Nothing escapes Death's Notice' came about, after all, so what could Sirzechs know that Death did not?

Minato did not answer. He just continued to stare at Sirzechs until the man finally nodded his head, confusion still evident on his face. It seems that the Crimson Satan as he proclaimed himself was smart enough to not and try to start a conflict with him.

The deep depths of that tainted, corrosive energy he wielded was indeed vast, and Minato felt the well of barely restrained strength the being held hidden deep in his core, but it was nothing like the sheer presence Nyx gave off.

Sirzechs eventually nodded his head in acceptance. "We have a Deal."

"How does one traverse to the End of the World?"

 **[EX]**

Minato sighed as he stared at his ceiling that night. He had a feeling Hypnos would not be allowing him entrance into his realms, not this night.

Thoughts of the End of the World tended to keep him up, he noticed. Nightmares of The Fall still plagued him, reoccurring at least once a week. Dreams in which he failed to Seal Erebus away from Nyx and prevent their unholy union from bringing the body of Nyx down on the heads of Mankind.

This was his second night without rest, as conversation with Azazel had kept him awake the night before.

His ears perked up after hearing a peculiar noise emanating from outside of his room, almost as if someone were... tapping on his living room window?

Gently rising from his bed, Minato made his way to the source of the noise, and peaked through the thick black curtains he bought to prevent the prying eyes of flying bats from seeing into his home again. Devils thought they were slick, but they weren't.

His eyes widened a fraction of an inch as he came face to face with a floating, skull mask wearing girl with dark purple hair and golden eyes. The cloak she wore on her back fluttered in the wind and behind her were around thirty more cloaked figures, though they actually appeared to be skeletons and not humanoid like the purple haired one.

'An attack already? By who?'

So he opened the window and readied, pulling on the energy of Thanatos enough to heighten the strength of his body and enhance his reaction time. His shadow grew darker and the one eye hidden in the darkness of his living room became the silver eye of Death.

"Who are you and what do you want? I am trying to sleep."

The sound of cloth fluttering through the air filled the night followed by a squeal of terror. Minato was pushed from his standing position when the skull masked girl rushed into him and the two collapsed into a heap. The figure sat on top of his stomach, and was a split second away from receiving several Mudo spells to the face, perhaps even a Hama for good measure, when he heard their words.

"Imsorryimsorryimsorry! Don't kill me Death-Sama!"

"What do you think you are doing?" Minato questioned, the hand gripping around the nape of the figures neck glowing a blackish purple. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the small scythe laying not too far from the bundle on his chest.

The Blade of Lucifer was too long to strike the figure at the angle he was resting at, and the barrel of the revolver wielded by the Reaper was too long as well. Should this figure make a move for their weapon, He would be forced to use magic, and nothing he could think of would spare his apartment from further damage.

He really needed to find a good, sturdy dagger.

"I asked you a question."

The quivering figure sniffled once more before answering, her voice as shaky as her body was. "I am Bennia, and I came to serve you, Death-Sama, to get away from Hades!"

Well, that answered his question about the existence of the other mythologies outside of the Abrahamic Faith.

"Why me?" Minato questioned, deciding he was quickly getting tired of people calling him Death.

"Because who better for a Grim Reaper to serve than you, Death-Sama? Did you not call for your servants last night? I'm sorry if I am late, it was hard making my way out of the Underworld! I brought some of my shitty fathers underlings to serve you, don't be mad please!"

The girl was almost breaking down in tears again, causing Minato to sigh. "Get off of me."

Bennia was quick to crawl off of his chest and sit herself on his couch, ignoring the glass and debris that littered its surface.

He looked at the window, then to Bennia, then back to the window. His jaw clenched and unclenched before his shoulders sagged. He was really, really starting to hate the supernatural beings that inhabited the world he found himself in. Why couldn't he have a peaceful existence while he waited for the End of the World?

Minato stuck his head out of the window and stared at the congregation of what he assumed were also 'Grim Reapers'.

"Go. Away."

He pulled his head back into his apartment and pulled the almost ruined blinds over the opening before turning his attention back to the now smiling figure sitting on his couch.

"You too." Minato stated with a frown, just wanting to lay back down and be done with the cascading snowball effect his life had gained. He sorely missed the simple days of Gekkoukan, and he was honestly beginning to think he would have preferred climbing Tartarus again than deal with this worlds beings. Alone. With nothing but a bent spoon as his weapon.

Bennia made no move to leave his apartment, and she showed him no signs of aggression. The fact that she, too, called him Death-Sama and claimed to have come all the way from the Underworld to serve him was the only thing that prevented him from using physical force to remove the girl from his abode.

He could not sense any intent to attack, or any real form of negative emotion coming from the girl besides resentment, and fear. The resentment was not aimed at him, nor was the fear any longer. It was also the fact that she claimed he called for her that let him know there was more going on with his persona abilities than he thought. A frown made its way to his face as he felt the connection he had with Thanatos tremble, as if in response to his train of thought.

It continued to grow in strength as the days passed, and he felt that before long, it would be impossible to separate his own energy from that cold darkness that suffused through him. Through that connection with Thanatos, so could he too feel a link between himself and Bennia, not to mention the skeletal figures that were floating around his apartment.

"Please let me stay! Hades is a big, mean skeleton and you seem so much nicer already!" The tremble in her voice was just too much. He couldn't say no to such a display. Instead, he said nothing at all.

He walked back to his room and shut the door. The clicking sound afterwards signified him locking the door, something that was meant to be purely psychological, and to leave a message. He knew that no flimsy lock would keep out the supernatural. His broken window attested to that.

'Stay Out.'

Bennia let out a victorious cheer and made her way around the apartment that her new Master lived in, curious as to what type of being Death was. She was left with nothing to go on, other than figure out he was researching the Pantheons due to the book left on the coffee table. 'It isn't even accurate, either...' Bennia thought with a frown as she thumbed through the old lore.

The guest room was completely empty and so was the bathroom across from it.

She sighed under her breath as she sat down in the recliner, leaning back into the comfortable chair while crossing her arms over her chest.

"I guess I will figure out what my duties will be tomorrow. Master sure is smart, to not rush a decision like that." With a resolute nod, the young Grim Reaper closed her eyes and basked in the presence left behind by the being that called her from beyond the barrier that separated the Realm of the Dead from the Realm of the Living.

It felt like Home, and she couldn't get enough of it. She idly wondered if Death was fond of pranks before Hypnos beckoned her into his embrace.

 **[EX]**

Azazel received a text message from Minato a few moments before he went to bed, causing the man to raise his brow. He honestly didn't think he would be hearing from Death so soon, or at all for that matter. After he relinquished a heavily damaged, but still living Raynare, Azazel had made sure to give the being a way to contact him should he ever need more information.

' _What do I do with thirty one Grim Reapers?'_

Azazel was not sure. What DID one do with thirty one Grim Reapers?


	8. The Fall of the Star of God

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter 8, Fall of the Star of God**_

 _ **A Persona and DxD Crossover**_

 _On the question of Ophis, and Kuroka, I only have to say yes. I already have a great scene planned out for Kuroka due to the argument that broke out in the comment section over Minatos potential children. I freaking love you guys, because that conversation really made my night, and morning._

 _Minato is an extremely complex character, in my opinion, to write about. I have taken many liberties with this story and its plot, and I am so, so thankful for all of you wonderful folks who have been with me since the beginning._

 _To Chu, who wanted to see if I read the reviews, I only have to say that I do. I read the reviews almost as soon as they are posted, multiple times. If it weren't for you all, I wouldn't bother writing. Also, I am not sure if I am going to be fusing different types of weapons like a spear and sword together, lest we end up with a weapon like The Nameless Kings from dks3. I, do, however, have a plan for a scene involving Cao Cao, the True Longinus and Minato making a fool of the former._

 _I take what each and every one of you say to heart. If I can work it into the plot I have already written down, I will work it in. This story isn't just mine the moment I post it, it is OURS. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Don't tell me HOW to write it, just tell me what you would like to see, or what you want to see less of._

 _On the subject of a Loli Harem...?_

 _Just give me your thoughts on the subject, because Minato and cute things work so damn well together it hurts, and I don't think I have seen it done in the DxD crossover section. Despite looking like an emotionless plank of wood, I can't help but think of him as possibly the sweetest protagonist from a SMT series, main line or not._

 _Though, Nanashi coming back from the dead as a damn puppet to a God to save Asahi was freakin' heart warming._

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Minato did his best to look anywhere but at the miniscule figure of Bennia, who sat happily in his recliner eating a bowl of reheated take out. He was thankful that she did not require any form of exotic viands, as he only had normal foodstuffs to offer her for breakfast.

His thoughts turned to the sound of multiple sets of moving trucks in the small parking lot of the apartment building and the moving crews removing different families belongings. Three days after thirty one Grim Reapers took up residence around his home in Kuoh, and an entire apartment building had been evacuated due to the unease of its quotidian Human occupants.

He was its final tenant.

Koneko expressed amusement at his situation every time he saw the Devil, which seemed to be becoming more and more often as she stopped by his home twice in the passed three days. He supposed she missed him buying her sweets, even if it had only been a few days since the two took a trip into town. 'Stop looking so Grim.' Was becoming her favorite thing to say to him.

He made a mental note to ask Azazel if he knew of a quick way to make a few thousand yen in the supernatural world, because there was no way he was going to get a part time job while Devils, Fallen and now Grim Reapers were in almost constant contact with him.

It would be unfair to subject any fellow Human to such travesty. Perhaps he could use the group of Grim Reapers that proclaimed loyalty to him to form a bounty hunter group? That would certainly solve his money issues.

He nodded his head resolutely and made a plan to text Azazel with his proposition soon. He would have posed the question to Sirzechs, but Minato found the leader of the Fallen much easier to stomach, even if he did have a depraved mind like Hyoudou did. Sirzechs was just... bubbly. It was sad when you had to call a man titled 'Lucifer' bubbly.

"What are you going to do today, Death-Sama?" The cheerful voice of Bennia brought him from his reverie, causing him to look in her direction. She seemed to sense his discomfort about her lack of modesty, because she was sitting a bit more properly in the chair than before.

"School, like every weekday. I hope to meet with the leader of the Grigori today, as well." Minato answered after a few seconds, leaning forward to stand from his seated position.

Bennia was quicker, however, and rushed to gather up his dishes before taking them to the kitchen instead of allowing him to do it himself.

"You don't have to do that." He said with a sigh, having experienced much the same over the passed few days of having the purple haired Grim Reaper as a guest in his home. It was annoying at first, and it was annoying now. He was not a cripple, he could do his own dishes.

"You are letting me stay in your home, Death-Sama, and it is my duty as your servant!" Came her vehement voice from the kitchen, as well as the sound of cluttering dishes.

After a few seconds of standing there, contemplating moving out of the country of Japan, he decided that this was where he was going to stay, otherwise Igor and Elizabeth would have placed him elsewhere. "I am going. See you."

He grabbed his school bag and made his way out the door after feeling a familiar presence making its way to his apartment from the stair well.

He nodded his greeting to Koneko, who nodded back before falling in step with Minato as the two made their way down to the street level. As they were passing by the window that overlooked the street from his apartment, he caught his companion staring up at his home.

Poking her head around the curtains, Bennia was watching the two with a frown on her face. More specifically, she was looking at Koneko, and Koneko was looking back.

Both had a displeased look on their face. 'What? Do they know each other?'

He rose his right brow at the girl in question, who shrugged her shoulders in response. She didn't further elaborate on the subject, so he decided to drop it. For now, at the very least. It seemed Bennia would be staying with him for the time being, as he just didn't have the heart to tell the minute Reaper to leave and he didn't want any problems between his only friend and his 'Servant'.

Especially knowing what type of God she had been forced to serve by her father and all she had been through.

The thought of Hades brought him a strong sense of Anger, and most of it did not even come from him. Thanatos seemed to roar and rage about the Sea of Souls at the mere mention of the name, and considering the fact that his Master now had qualms with the being, it was even more so vocal.

It was sad that Minato could perfectly understand what Thanatos was 'saying' to him.

Koneko seemed to notice his growing ire and poked him in between two ribs with a pout on her face.

"Stop that."

All thoughts of the God of the Dead disappeared, replaced with a small amount of pain and annoyance.

"Don't do that." Minato stated in a bland tone, rubbing the spot lightly with his right hand.

"Stop it." Koneko stated again, poking him in the same spot the moment he dropped his hand.

"You stop first."

The two glared at each other before Koneko smiled lightly. Minato had both eyebrows furrowed and a frown, not a pout, on his face as he looked at the now giggling Devil walking beside him. Since when did she giggle? The sound brought a small smile to his face, however, and lightened the mood he was feeling substantially.

Minato had grown to truly appreciate the company Koneko provided him. It felt nice to have someone around him that he could actually let his guard down around, even if only a little. She did not know of his past, of his struggles, but neither did he know hers. Instead, the two just enjoyed the peace and quiet the other brought.

He did, however, know what her favorite sweets were. The two stopped at their usual shop on the way to class to pick up the girl enough snacks to last her the rest of the day. How she remained the diminutive size she was now with how many sweets she ate was beyond Minatos' comprehension.

Kiba, the Knight of Rias, was waiting at the gates of the school grounds. As the two approached, he looked up and a smile made its way across his face. "Arisato-Senpai, Koneko-Chan, how are you two this morning?"

Minato shrugged his shoulders before responding. "I am well. Can I help you, Yuuto-San?"

Kiba barely suppressed his wince at being so transparent, but nodded his head at the question before closing his eyes and bowing at the waist in Minatos' direction. "I was hoping you would spar with me this afternoon, Arisato-Senpai! Please do me the honor of seeing your legendary sword in action!"

The depraved giggles that came from the group of female third years that hung around caused Koneko to shoot them a withering look. Kiba was also on the receiving end of the look, causing him to scratch the back of his head nervously. 'That... didn't sound right.'

Minato ignored the Knight from that point on and made his way to homeroom, Koneko right behind him. Now he had to watch out for advances from Kiba. Great.

 **[EX]**

Two tiny coffins were floating around Bennias' shoulders when he arrived home. Identical to the same coffins that acted as wings and weapons for both Thanatos and himself.

She claimed that it was a sign that he Did care about her. He told her plainly that he had no hand in her new... appendages? They couldn't have been but a foot long, and just two inches deep, small in nature just like the being they responded to.

'Is it because of her link with Thanatos and myself?' Minato questioned himself as he studied the two coffins and the tiny chain that connected the two. "Do they do anything?"

"Yes, Death-Sama! They have greatly increased my ability to control my flight path, and can act like rockets to boost my speed!" Bennia chirped happily, making the two tiny coffins spin around the girl in a circle with just a thought. The two coffins opened up and crimson light began to gather before dispersing in a very small pulse that washed over Minato.

'So they only act as physical boosters. Good to know.' Minato thought to himself, watching the two coffins flutter like wings before settling behind her back. "You might be able to use them to attack, as well."

Stars appeared in the Grim Reapers eyes before she began to bounce up and down while squealing in glee. "I have always wanted to beat someone with a coffin, this is like a dream come true!"

Her enthusiasm was almost contagious. Almost.

"Bennia."

"Yes, Death-Sama?"

"How would you feel about becoming... a Bounty Hunter?" Minato questioned delicately, unsure if the girl was willing to continue working in such a field after the experience she went through with Hades. "You do not have to if you are unwilling."

"I would be honored to be your Bounty Hunter, Death-Sama!" The small girl cried out passionately, her scythe appearing in her hands before she clutched it tightly to her chest. "Give me the word, and I shall reap the souls of any and everyone that stands in your path! Your enemies are my enemies, and your lovers, are MINE!"

"What?"

"N-Nothing, Death-Sama, just got a little worked up is all!" The Grim Reaper tried to correct herself after a few awkward moments, causing Minato to stare at her like she had lost her mind.

"I don't have a 'Lover'." 'Not anymore...' Minato didn't finish his sentence aloud, but the thought left a bittersweet taste lingering on the back of his tongue. It was best to not get wrapped up in his thoughts of the past, or the heartache he had felt for a few months now would only grow worse. He hid his feelings behind a mask of apathy, behind his dead eyes. Only Koneko seemed to see, or even cared to see, what lurked beneath the surface, and he made sure to keep her at an arms distance for it.

"Azazel stated he would be here around five or so." Minato finally stated before grabbing his keys from the counter, "I will be back in an hour."

"Wait, Death-Sama! May I come with you? Please?"

"You pranked an entire block of pedestrians two days ago when I brought you with me." Minato stated with a frown, pausing on his way out of the door, "Have you decided you will behave yourself? Because the smell of rotten eggs doesn't just disappear like you think."

"I promise!" Bennia was practically begging at this point, sitting on her knees with her hands held together in front of her face and all. He grit his teeth and did his best to stay mad at the girl. He really did.

"Come on, you need a house key."

Her smile could have lit up the night sky.

 **[EX]**

Minato found himself sitting with Azazel in a local diner, watching in morbid fascination as the man devoured everything on the table with no finesse. He had to move his head out of the way of moving splatters of ketchup and egg every so often.

The bastard even stole a strip of bacon from his plate when he wasn't looking. Maybe he SHOULD have gone to Sirzechs instead.

"So what did you want, Kid?" Azazel finally asked after polishing his last bowl of soup, letting out a loud belch when he was finished. Minato fought the urge to curl his lip up in distaste and leaned forward a bit so Azazel could hear him better.

"Are there any bounties or things of that nature that you need taken care of?" Minato questioned with his face set in a mask of firmness, "I seem to have need for more money than I currently have, and my normal methods of acquiring funds are beyond me at the moment."

"Boy oh boy, Do I ever!" Azazel boisterously exclaimed, "You remember that man you asked me about the other night? Well, I happen to want him brought back to me, Alive, and I am willing to pay handsomely to have it done."

Minato nodded and leaned back before raising his right hand with his two forefingers raised. The waitress overseeing their table nodded and quickly moved to get him the check for the table. Considering it was an 'Americana' diner, she would be making a generous tip like he heard the Americans did.

Ten percent of the total price was still going to break his back, but if Azazel kept his word, Minato felt it would be a much needed investment. The two men departed the diner and began to make a few rounds around Kuoh while they continued to iron out the details of their agreement.

The smile that was present on Minatos' face when he got home was almost enough to make Bennia feel uncomfortable.

 **[EX]**

"You don't look dead inside today." Koneko was as stoic as ever. And as greedy.

She had shown up at his home early that morning and practically dragged him out of his apartment by the arm, silently demanding that he spend more time with her than just buying her sweets and leaving. He was waiting for word back from Bennia and the Reapers, who left in the middle of the previous night to begin the hunt for Kokabiel and his Cadre now that it was confirmed he was a traitor to the Grigori.

"I feel dead, though," Minato murmured as he watched the cat eared Devil polish off another small chocolate bar while they walked through the town, "You are eating me out of wallet and home."

"Wah, wah."

Had she been anyone else, he would have left them standing alone in the middle of the street for mocking him. Koneko, however, seemed to have a sense of humor that was as dry as his.

That, and she had linked arms with him to prevent him from getting away. Clever girl. It was only fifteen or so minutes later that he felt his phone vibrating. Pulling out the communication device, he was pleased to see a text from Bennia already.

' _We have contact. Surrounding_ _main_ _target._ _Two got away._ _'_

Minato turned to Koneko and tapped her on the shoulder, getting her attention. "I need to go. Sorry, but this is important."

Koneko nodded her head before doing something that shocked Minato greatly.

She hugged him and then walked away with a light skip in her step.

He was left standing in the middle of the road with his eyes slightly widened, staring at nothing in particular. He was snapped out of his daze when he felt a pull on his energy through his link with Thanatos and the Reapers. Walking into an alley not far from his position, Minato allowed himself to meld into the shadows and disappear from the city of Kuoh.

 **[EX]**

Kokabiel knew he was in trouble when he felt the cold chill settle upon the area that had become his base of operations since Raynare had been captured. He knew Mittelt and Kalawarner had turned on him and his goals just a day later when all of his bank accounts were shut down by Shemhazai, the Vice Governor General of the Grigori.

He stared out the windows of the massive stone cathedral that had been his home for the last few months, and he felt a drop of fear settle into his ocean of rage.

'Grim Reapers? What could I have possibly done to Hades?' The 'Star of God' questioned himself frantically, seeing that the number of Reapers was easily enough to take him down no matter how many he fought off. It would be a death by paper cuts situation, but in this case, it would be his soul getting cut. He knew all about those deathly black scythes the Grim Reapers wielded, having seen them in action himself long, long ago.

Kokabiel made his way from the confines of the Cathedral that lay in ruins, his gait slow and arrogant. "Begone, Reapers! I do not have time for your antics, tell your Master if he wants to speak with me, he needs to come himself!" When none of the Reapers moved to approach him, or leave him alone, he figured that perhaps they had come to send a message?

"But you see, Kokabiel... I have come. I hear you haven't been a good boy." Minato stated as he walked calmly from the shadows of the large stone building, nonplussed at the amount of tainted light rolling off the now angered figure in the middle of the clearing.

"And who are you to speak to me in such ways, you filth! I will wipe you from existence for your insolence!" The Fallen Angel roared with more fury in his voice than Minato had ever heard come from a single being. Multiple Fallen began to pour from the Cathedral at his declaration, each armed with Spears of Light.

With a cry of 'Woo Hoo!', Bennia launched herself into the fray of Fallen Angels with gusto, clipping multiple sets of wings with her scythe as she blasted too and fro with the help of her tiny coffins, each emitting a baleful crimson energy that acted as if they were rockets.

Minato, however, was in the middle of engaging Kokabiel in swordplay. The Blade of Lucifer tore through each Light Sword the Fallen conjured like they weren't even there, causing the Fallen to leap into the sky to avoid close quarter combat with his opponent.

Three gunshots rang out as the Blade of Lucifer was replaced with Reapers Revolver, each shot scoring a massive hole straight through three different wings. Kokabiel roared out in agony as he began to rain down Spears of Light upon his opponents location.

Minato weaved in between each spear as it got close to him until he was a black and blue blur of chaotic movement. Three more gunshots rang out and finally Kokabiel was brought back down to the Earth forcibly. Blood poured freely from his wounds as he slammed his hands into the ground. The blood dripped from his arms and began to etch an exotic seal upon the burnt soil, causing the ground to vibrate and crack around the edge of the seal. Kokabiels' Irises became a sickly yellow while the sclera of his eyes turned crimson.

"Rise and serve me, Cerberus!"

The wry grin that stretched across Minatos' face confused the Fallen Angel greatly. "You won't be smiling when I am done with you, BOY!"

From the summoning circle came a massive beast with three heads, each spitting a massive source of flame from their mouths. The roar that tore through the landscape caused many of the Fallen that haven't passed out from the pain of having their souls severed from their wings to turn and face the conflict between the two figures in the middle of the clearing.

The Cerberus turned to stare at Minato, who stared back at the beast with dispassionate eyes.

The three headed dog that guarded the entrance into the Land of the Dead bowed low, its front two paws digging trenches into the earth as Minato began to walk forward.

Shadows coalesced into thick puddles and a singular coffin rose from its depths. Minato soon came to a halt beside the Cerberus and reached his right hand out, patting the massive beast on its center heads snout.

"Good Dog." The Cerberus disappeared with a flash of black light, returning to its post with the rest of its kin.

Kokabiel tried to flee at the sight of the Coffin, finally realizing who he had been facing the entire time, but it was for naught. Just like with Raynare, eight ghostly appendages burst forth from the coffin and began to reel the man in foot by foot, until he was finally pulled into the darkness that awaited him. Chains wrapped around the coffin and multiple seals began to appear on the links, reinforcing the integrity of the small pocket dimension that held the body and soul of Kokabiel within.

Minato turned to watch the remained of the Fallen surrender without further conflict, holding their hands high in the air as a sign of disarmament. Bennia landed beside him a few seconds later, a large smile on her face. "That was the coolest thing EVER! You showed that smelly Fallen who was Boss, Death-Sama!"

Minato fought and failed to hide the small smile that appeared on his face at the compliment from his first Servant of his that did not come from the Sea of Souls. The low class Grim Reapers that followed Bennia into the Land of the Living began to gather up the Fallen that were wounded and sank into the shadows one at a time, transporting their cargo directly to the rendezvous point the Governor General had set up to receive his stray kin.

"Let's go home, Bennia, Azazel is awaiting confirmation of Kokabiels' capture."

"You got it, Death-Sama!"

Like their underlings, the two sank into the shadows and disappeared from the ruined landscape

 **[EX]**

From the treeline of the ruined landscape came a rather chesty figure wearing robes as black as night. Atop her head were black cat ears, and two black tails fluttered behind her as she walked.

The woman began to sniff the air and knelt down in the same spot Minato last stood, tracing her fingers across the earth blackened by shadows. She brought the finger to her mouth and sucked the tip with look of concentration on her face.

'Ohhh, that's the energy I felt, alright. Vali was wise to tell me to be here.'

A frown appeared on the figures face, before it turned into a sensual looking grin.

"Kuroka gets what Kuroka wants, and right now... Kuroka wants some Skelekittens, Nyaaa~!"


	9. At the River Acheron

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter 9, In the River Acheron I laid my woes**_

 _ **A Persona and DxD Crossover**_

 _When I said Harem, I did not mean one of redic proportions. In fact, it would have been limited to three, maybe up to five different girls in the series._

 _That said, its going to be an unwilling Harem. Minato is not going to go out of his way to pursue ONE relationship, let alone multiple. More into his thought process will be explained as these things come to pass. It isn't going to happen instantly, or even quickly. Its going to be 'how has this happened to me', like a kind reviewer has stated._

 _But lets be honest, this is Minato we are talking about. He knows about that Elizabooty, Canon Fact._

 _More are in favor of the Loli Harem than not, but I will let this be known. Akeno and Rias are not going to end up with Minato, even if there is more no votes than yes. Seen so many stories with those two as the exclusive pairings that its made me not want to read them anymore. This story is about Minato and his quest to save the world, but Issei not pursuing his dreams of having a Harem, even in the background, would be a pretty damn bad blunder on my part._

 _Hopefully this chapter is as well received as the last few! Just know that this Asia is going to be slightly more jaded than Canon, but that's the beauty of Fanfiction._

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Minato remembered the smell of the waters, of the sand, of the land of Cocytus. It called to him, sang him sweet nothings when he watched Kokabiel sink into its icy depths until his head was the only remaining thing free.

It was were Minato remembered himself, and it was were he left part of himself. He was so close to the Land of the Dead that he felt as if he were coming home for the first time. He frowned as he heard the waters of Acheron churn, in the tune of a heartbeat. Looking up from the waters, he saw a woman staring back at him from the Land of the Dead, dressed in the blackest dress he had ever seen. She offered him a tentative, small smile and he found himself lifting his hand to wave to her. It felt as if he was greeting an old friend, and it made his mind and heart ache.

No one could see her but him.

He left Cocytus soon after with Bennia in tow, though he knew he would have to return eventually. Thanatos was oddly silent throughout the entire ordeal, as were the other beings that inhabited his Sea of Souls. It was a solemn silence.

It was his third night in a week without sleep.

 **[EX]**

Sitting in a dimension filled with undulating, ever changing color, a black haired female wearing Gothic Lolita styled clothing stared at the sky in wonder. She was born from the nothingness of the Void and grew to love the silence of her home dimension more than anything.

She enjoyed many, many millennia of silence in the void known as the Dimensional Gap, but Great Red had invaded her home and cast that silence asunder with his annoying yelling and shouting as he did tricks such as barrel rolls through the air.

Her name was Ophis, and when she felt the stirrings of Death appear in the world parallel to her own, she knew she had to recruit him, a transcendent being like herself. Using the information gathered by Vali, Kuroka was to stake out the being and do her best to persuade him to join the Infinite Dragon in her quest to rid her home of Great Red. If Kuroka failed to do so, Ophis would have to take care of it herself, and she was loathe to leave her home lest the Dragon that fueled itself on Dreams destabilize it further with its corrosive and chaotic energy.

"I, just want my silence back..."

 **[EX]**

Four figures were standing outside of the apartment building Minato lived in around the center of town, and only one seemed displeased at being barred entrance to their home by the very being they just finished a bounty for.

"What have you done?"

"You haven't even seen it yet!"

"Azazel. What. Have. You done?"

The leader of the Fallen let out a huff as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I bought the apartment building you live in, and fixed it up. So what?" The figure standing next to him looked extremely uncomfortable, grinding the toes of her left shoe into the ground nervously while she held her arms behind her back.

"I sleep there. Bennia sleeps there. You purchased my home, and proceeded to tear down my walls. While we were inside. How is this payment?" Minato was about a split second away from declaring himself enemies of the Fallen Angels if their leader didn't come up with a good explination, and fast.

"Well, I was going to give it to you after I was done fixing it up!" Azazel tried to defend himself, "You will have a super cool lair again like the old days, Big D, chill!"

"Big... D?" He shouldn't have asked, because the moment he did, Minato realized he didn't care and didn't want to know.

"Big Death, of course! You are like the OG, Original God, of Death. So Big D."

Minato had no words for the man. Bennia looked like she was halfway between an aneurism and busting her spleen, from both the need to laugh and righteous anger at her Master being so casually addressed by the Fallen.

"Don't call me that, ever again. I am pretty sure you told me you were going to pay me. In. Yen." For such a stoic guy, Azazel was feeling a good bit of anger from Minato at the moment. That super blank face was sort of creeping him out.

"Hey, hey, I never said I wasn't going to pay you too! Remember, our contract was for Kokabiel, and Kokabiel alone. Your pet skeletons brought back much more than just Kokabiel. Hell, this is for bringing me back an armada of traitors!" The Governor General was quick to correct the misunderstanding Minato was under, easily seeing how it came about. 'I really need to start asking permission before I just do these things... Nah, that was a dumb idea. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.'

Minato thought about what Azazel said and soon realized he was right. His only target was Kokabiel, the rest was collateral. Had they not attacked him, they would still be free of from the imprisonment they faced within Grigori territory.

"How long will this take?" Minato eventually relented, knowing that it was too late do really do anything about it. He knew that the Governor General held no negative intentions behind the acts, and it would allow him to house the reapers in an area besides the air around his small apartment.

It was obvious that the man was also in a great mood. Azazel in any form of good mood was not good for the moods of those around him, Minato soon realized.

"Aaaand... done."

The sight of Fallen Angels dressed in orange jumpsuits huddled into a chain gang filled the sky, as well as a ten winged Fallen wielding a... lightning whip?

"Lets go, Lets go! Move it LADIES, I ain't got all day!"

Minato turned to Azazel and quickly made his thoughts known.

"There is something very wrong with you and your organization."

"Don't I know it, kid. By the way... your skeletons brought back a Human with them, and I kind of don't have anywhere to put her. Soooo, I was hoping that you would let her stay with you from now on! Death, this is Asia, Asia, this is Death." The figure that had been standing beside Azazel stepped forward upon being introduced to Minato.

He was being emotionally blackmailed. Minato didn't know whether to be mad or not when he saw those big, green doe eyes staring at him in wonder, in hope.

"Hello, Death-Sama! My name is Asia Argento, thank you very much for saving me last night!" The blond haired girl dressed in a black set of church robes spoke up, a large smile on her face, "I... I thought they were going to kill me! I... I can find somewhere else to live if you do not want me to stay around..." Tears welled up in the girl eyes as her tone shifted from a false cheer to sadness, and Minato held back a sigh. What was it with girls crying that bothered him so much?

Something about those green eyes made him want to protect her, and it was hard for something to trigger that type of feeling in him. It was the innocence she held, and that light aura that seemed to hang around her. It was a refreshing change from the tainted light of the Fallen and the darkness of the Devils.

"Think nothing of it." Minato eventually relented after silent contemplation, "You may stay."

Minato wasn't going go to Azazel for help again. He would rather deal with the Bubbly Devil than a Fallen Angel who pawned his problems off on him.

Bennia, Minato and Asia missed the sad smile of Azazels' face as Bennia introduced herself to the blond that would be living with them from then on.

 **[EX]**

Asia was pretty shaken up by the past week she had been through, but being back in Kuoh after being rescued by the agents of Death during their raid on Kokabiels hideout felt like an act of kindness she didn't deserve. She was kidnapped by the exorcist Freed two days after she arrived in Kuoh after she healed his right arm. He pushed the two of them through a portal after Mittelt and Kalawarner disappeared, and she had no idea where they ended up. She felt sick remembering the advances Freed kept making, and it was only the constant presence of Fallen that prevented him from defiling her, she was sure.

The other man, a man named Valper, was also excommunicated like Freed and herself, though she did not know why. He was even worse than Freed, but in a different way. He would talk about experimenting on her, and Asia felt that it wasn't going to be long before Kokabiel decided to allow it.

That vile, vicious creature Kokabiel, and his cursed wroth. He whispered harsh words in her direction, mocking her continued faith in God despite being cast aside by the Church. He finally broke her one night, the night she was rescued by who she now knew were the Angels of Death.

Oh, she knew they were no Angels, not Heavenly in the slightest, but she was almost satisfied when she watched them make short work of the Fallen that watched her continuously get verbally and physically abused and slapped around. They did not lift a finger to help her, no matter how much she begged to be released from the massive cage they kept her in. Her kindness, her begging, it got her no where. They would laugh at her plight.

The skeletal figures freed her from her confines and pulled her into the deep pool of darkness that opened up beneath them. It felt like cold water washing over her skin, but to her, it felt like a baptism. She felt her worries and her sadness wash away, and she felt happy in the embrace.

After being received by the Fallen loyal to whom she learned was the true leader of the Grigori, she was quickly relocated from the prison area after much confusion among the Fallen. They couldn't imprison a prisoner, not one who seemed to be worse for wear and dressed in rags. They contacted their higher ups, who contacted Their higher ups, and it was Shemhazai who came to escort her away from the chaos.

Now she was in the presence of a being whom she owed her freedom to. She was surprised by his appearance, and his personality, but certainly in a good way. She was expecting a tall skeleton wielding a massive scythe, and instead she got a blue haired teenager with a quiet, but commanding voice. He was not a monster like Kokabiel, either. The fact that he was willing to let her stay with him, despite not knowing her, brought tears to her eyes. Legitimate tears of joy.

She was elated what Azazel said was true, and that Death was kind. She could see the compassion in his eyes when he looked at her.

Asia almost felt relaxed as she walked around, chatting with Bennia about various topics the Grim Reaper wanted to talk about. The two shared laughs about pranks Bennia had committed in the past, and Asia felt it was scandalous to laugh. After the week she had, though, the ridiculousness was like a balm to her soul.

It felt great to be back in Kuoh.

 **[EX]**

"Asia!" A voice halted the group of three near the bank where Minato planned on opening an account, seeing as Azazel decided it was necessary to pay him with a check. It was just another inconvenience, something that Minato felt the man embodied himself. One large inconvenience.

"Issei!" Asia greeted back with enormous amounts of cheer in her voice, rushing forward to greet the boy that Minato had given the choice of Humanity or Devilry to. As per an agreement between the two, made not long after Minato had met with Sirzechs, Issei would mutter not a single perverse thought or vocalize depravity in his presence.

Issei greatly respected Minato for guarding him and healing him after Raynare tore straight through his chest cavity, so much that he had begun to idolize him to a degree. He remembered that terrifying presence he controlled, and he saw what he did in his stead. No one had ever done anything like that for him. He was sure most people would have let him bleed out instead of helping him due to his perverse ways, but Minato didn't.

That was why he was searching for him, to ask the man to train his team for the upcoming Rating Game with the Phenex clan heir. Seeing Asia with him, someone he thought he would never see again, it lifted a weight from his mind. After the day he spent with her, he thought he had made another friend, but she never came back from the Church. He had walked the town a few times trying to find the kind girl, despite the warnings from Rias, but he couldn't find her anywhere. He even did what he told Rias he wouldn't, and investigated the Church by himself.

It was like she up and disappeared after he walked her to the boundaries of the holy building.

The two seemed to be having a moment together, so Minato and Bennia moved to stand aside and not seem like they were eavesdropping when Issei broke away from his conversation with Asia to approach Minato.

"Please wait, Minato-Senpai! I... I want you to train me!" Issei declared loudly while pumping his fist in Minatos' direction, "I must protect Rias from a forced marriage, and I don't think I can do it alone! Please, I... I don't want to lose her, not to him..." Minato was moved by the passion in his voice, so when Issei bowed low at the waist and cast his eyes to the floor, Minato tapped him by the shoulder and shook his head.

"Do not bow to me. What...," Minato stopped for a moment, a displeased look appearing on his face, "What is it you want to learn from me?"

So that was how Asia, Bennia and Minato found themselves in the middle of a beautiful training camp owned by the Gremory Family for a ten day vacation away from Kuoh. Minato at least had mind to pick up the keys to his new home from Azazel before departing, it would do no good to be locked out of his own home despite not technically needing the door to enter it.

The thirty Grim Reapers were ordered to remain and act as a vanguard, and they did as requested without complaint.

Minato liked that about them.

 **[EX]**

Minato frowned as he watched the boy concentrate on the draconian energy deep within him, and he was sure the boy was doing his best to look like a manga character.

It was annoying.

"Stop. Just... watch." Minato murmured, holding his hand up to stop Issei from further embarrassing himself. He stepped forward and pressed his forefinger and middle finger on Issei's chest and began to channel his own energy as lightly as he could. When the teenager showed no reaction to the energy, he continued to increase its output until Issei made an off hand comment about how that tickled.

Minato upped the energy output until Issei finally exclaimed he felt it.

"Now I want you to feel this flow. Memorize the feeling." Minato guided, watching as Issei closed his eyes in concentration once more, this time actually succeeding in summoning the energy needed to not only make Boosted Gear appear on his left hand, but for it to gain a new feature. A coffin symbol etched itself upon the crimson gauntlet and dark purple waves of what appeared to be flames coalesced around the clawed fingers of Issei.

Minato rose a brow at the sight, not understanding the significance of seeing the symbol, but he knew it had something to do with the fact that Issei was absorbing the energy Minato was pushing into his system and not outright expelling it like he expected he would. He could feel it entering the Boosted Gear, and he felt it when the draconian source of energy began to devour it as it were Koneko with sweets.

He heard a gasp come from Rias, who was standing not far from the two along with Akeno, Bennia and Asia. Koneko and Kiba were in a clearing a few yards away, sparring with one another in hopes that the combat experience would give them the edge they needed to defeat their opponent, Riser Phenex, and save their King from an arranged marriage.

"You... you blessed him."

Minato did no such thing, and he was about to vocalize that statement when Issei began to cheer loudly. His eyes drew to the black ball of energy that was forming in the gauntlet covered hand of Issei and the power output he was feeling from it.

With a roar, Issei reared back his arm and released the energy in a gout of purple flames tinted black, and Minato was reminded of his fight with Ryoji. 'I have seen that type of attack before, but it wasn't used in this fashion.'

The dark purple beam of flames ate away at everything in its path before exploding violently, leaving a nearby hill carved almost in two.

Issei stared at his hand, and then at the damage he caused.

"You are freaking awesome, Minato-Senpai!"

Minato shrugged his shoulders at the praise, "We still have work to do."

The look of determination on Isseis' face let Minato know he wasn't wasting his time.

 **[EX]**

Issei was able to successfully use the attack, which he named 'Death Shot' as homage to Minato, multiple times in succession before beginning to feel the wear on his magic by the end of the third day of training.

Minato did not neglect the boys physical training either, going so far as to force him to engage in hand to hand combat with him while fully reinforced by his own energy, leaving Issei to be beaten to a pulp every time until he began to pick up a few of the moves of Minato.

Issei was a calisthenic learner, Minato had found out, and a damn good one. When given a goal, a real goal that did not have depraved intentions, that was when the wielder of Boosted Gear began to shine. The agreement between Minato and Issei stood, and not a single perverse comment came from the mouth of the brown haired teenager during the entire ten days.

Akeno and Rias were almost convinced it was a sign of the apocalypse until Issei explained just why he was keeping his comments to himself.

He did not want to jeopardize the future of his King with his perversion, and he thought that being trained by Minato was the only way he could possibly get strong enough, quick enough, to defeat Riser and free Rias from her obligations.

It was the most heart touching thing Rias had ever come from the mouth of Hyoudou Issei, and the small blush on her face at that proclamation made her heart skip a beat. Rias seemed to push herself in training harder than before after Issei's bold declaration, as well as the rest of the Gremory Group.

Minato did not only focus on Issei, despite being there at his request, and found himself sparring with Kiba and Koneko as well at different times. Akeno had expressed interest in learning a few spells from him, and even offered to teach him one of her own creation in turn. Minato thought it was a fair trade, and thus the two exchanged information. Holy Lightning, as Minato learned, was out of his grasp, but learning another wide scale lightning attack that acted as a much weaker thunder reign was worth it.

At the end of the tenth day, Bennia, Asia and Minato bade farewell and good luck to the Devils in their match and made their way home.

After unlocking the front door and stepping into the freshly renovated building, Minato felt both of his brows raise at the color scheme of the building.

'How did he know my favorite color?'

Everything was a Velvet Blue.


	10. High on Victory, Low on Loss

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter 10, High on Victory, Low on Loss, Mistaken Identity?**_

 _Do not worry, Dr. Love, I have no plans on rushing the unwanted Harem option. It is going to be a bit of a developmental process than otherwise. We are still seeing stage one of potential members, and even then, not every female that ends up surrounding Minato will end up pursuing him romantically. Really._

 _This story is does not have Romance as its tag for a reason. You wont see Lemons, or Limes, or Oranges either. Instead, you will see a lot of cute shit. I like cute shit. So no, you wont see panties being dropped on screen, or children being popped out, or anything of that nature at all. The mention of children by Kuroka in a previous chapter was meant to be a reference to comments in the reviews, to clear that up for any wondering._

 _I received pretty conflicting feed back over chapter 9. I was also told that originality is apparently a difficult subject for me._

 _Ouch._

 _To the rest of you, You are amazing. Do not worry about my health, Cannabis, I make sure to get a good amount of sleep and I take care of myself somewhat better than most. I have been writing and typing out my ideas for around ten or so years now, so getting my ideas set up and writing the chapter doesn't take me long at all. The editing, rewriting, research, and even more rewriting is what takes me the most time, as I try to be meticulous as far as lore goes._

 _I do not know about having the Persona Fusion option available to represent the Universe Arcana, as it is Minato himself that holds that power. It would be like giving your power to a different being to use in your stead, just for dramatic effect._

 _Enough ranting, lets get on with the show. I hope you all enjoy._

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

His new home was too large, Minato noticed after the first twenty minutes of exploring the five story tall building with Asia and Bennia in tow. It was not opulent to the point that it was garish, but it was certainly luxurious enough to cause Minato to unconsciously estimate how much money each item would theoretically cost.

It was too much. There were features such as the small fountain in the 'reception area' and an elevator that told him that this building was to act more as a Base of Operations rather than a Home. Paintings of different types of shadowed scenery hung on the walls with ebony black picture frames, and candles that were kept alight with a ghastly blue flame filled the candelabras and sconces that kept six of the eight floors lit well enough to see, but cast only just enough light to make the area 'moody'.

The bottom-most floor was cloaked in pitch black darkness, and styled like a modern bar. The Grim Reapers settled into the bottom floor and made it their homes. They would sit idly around tables and inside booths, chattering their bones at one another in a form of communication Minato was unaware they had. One of the Reapers had even taken to acting as a 'bar keeper', cleaning a singular glass while maintaining a stock of liquor, beer and other drinks that the Fallen felt were needed for such an area.

It was welcoming, Minato thought, to have the skeletal figures wave to him and nod their head when they saw him. It was almost like they were in better moods than they had been before, if such a thing were possible. They would fight for him at the drop of a hat, and he knew that they would do their best to keep him safe. The link shared between the Grim Reapers that swore loyalty to him and himself gave him a vague idea of how the beings felt, otherwise Minato was sure he would be uneasy to allow such beings to remain around him for any length of time.

They didn't seem to have need for sleep, or anything of the like either, as the entire floor was entirely dedicated to the bar theme they seemingly enjoyed. 'Of course they would prefer a setting like this, these are supernatural beings.' Minato thought to himself, 'And supernatural beings in this world are unreasonable.'

After catching sight of the Grim Reapers in somewhat better light, he tried to rub his eyes to make sure they were not deceiving him.

The Grim Reapers each now wore a velvet blue cape with a black coffin sewn into the middle of its length. The robes they wore were generally the same, but the symbol on their robes had shifted from that of a skull, to that of a coffin as well. It seemed that somehow, someway, Azazel had given his Reapers capes to wear, and for whatever reason, they decided to wear them.

"I want one too!" Bennia yelled while crossing her arms over her chest, causing Minato to assure the girl that he would make sure she got a cape like theirs as well. "I don't want one like theirs! I want a special cape!"

Asia quickly voiced that she, too, would like a cape. She claimed they were cute, and that since she was staying with him, it was only right that she 'wore his uniform'. He tried to tell the girl that there was not a uniform, but Bennia, with her quick mouth and scheming ways, convinced the blond that yes, he did and she would make sure she got hers.

If not for the genuine smile that lit up Asias' face instead of the false cheer that seemed to surround the girl, Minato would have called Bennia out on her obvious lie.

Using the building plans, Minato was able to discern which floors held what, and he was sure that he would find Bennia and Asia on the second basement level quite often, as Bennia had expressed interest in watching television in her spare time from the windows of the pawn shop in town. Floor B2 was basically an indoor movie theater, with access to both Human television networks and Fallen television channels on its large listing.

Minato had absolutely no use for such a thing. It was yet another expensive addition that caused Minatos' initial estimates for the cost of the building to go up exponentially, as did each floor until he was sure he felt his mind going numb from the numbers running through his head.

The building certainly appealed to him, but he felt that more money went into crafting the large abode than Azazel was forthcoming with. It was more than just a simple payment. It was a bribe.

Minato didn't know what the Fallen wanted, but if he went to such a length to try and win his favor... he must be desperate. Desperation leads to mistakes, but Minato couldn't help but feel he was the one who made a mistake in accepting the keys from Azazel the day he left to train Issei.

He wasn't a fool. He was aware of just who the beings around him believed him to be. Azazel was attempting to get in good with whom he assumed was going to be a player on the chest board of the Supernatural.

By accepting the gift, he had basically formed the foundations of a friendship, so to speak, between his own 'faction' and Azazels Grigori. If Azazel began to spread that information, even if it were a white lie, it might potentially destabilize the fickle peace that settled over the land after the Great War went cold.

After settling Bennia and Asia into the fourth floor, Minato made a phone call to someone he was sure was expecting.

 **[EX]**

They say that when Death calls, you have to answer. Azazel agreed with the sentiment, because it meant he finally understood what his 'gift' truly was. It took him far longer than he thought, considering the ten day lapse in contact between the two.

"I was expecting you to call me ten days ago."

"I was busy. You have some explaining to do, Azazel." Came the calm voice from the other line.

"Think of it as sealing the deal. Too late for me to take it back, as well."

"There was no deal, Azazel. This could have very, very terrible consequences and you know it. What do you really want? Quit being so dodgy and answer me straight for once."

Azazel threw his head back and laughed. It was amusing to hear that accusingly blank voice scolding him like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It took a few moments for Azazel to finally regather his breath, but when he spoke again, his tone was much lighter.

"I want Peace. A true, conclusive peace between the Supernatural and the Human worlds, where there is no need for things such as War. I want there to be understanding between the factions."

The leader of the Grigori could tell he said the right thing, because Minato lost his accusing tone.

"That does not change how this can be perceived. You are playing with fire, Azazel, and one mishap could make things get extremely hot."

Azazel knew that Minato spoke the truth. He knew that if he were to tell, say... Sirzechs, that he bought Death a new home, Sirzechs might hear something completely different than those exact words. Sirzechs would hear that the Fallen were in good enough standing with Death to exchange gifts and favors.

That is why Azazel did exactly that, but it had the opposite effect than he expected. Sirzechs just maintained a knowing countenance through the video chat, as if he had information that Azazel did not.

He told Minato as much, and the teenager silently cursed the Fallen for his meddling before the line went silent, following by an annoying machine tone.

Death had called, he answered, then he annoyed Death until he hung up on him. Today was another good day.

Now if only he could get in contact with his breast hating brother Michael. Who knew the reception in Heaven was such garbage.

 **[EX]**

"This is new." Minato murmured, watching the form of a woman with solid gray hair in a maid outfit appear out of a seal that appeared on his ebony wood desk. The seal acted as a hologram projector of sorts, allowing him to see the woman in three dimensions, something that intrigued Minato by the sheer application of such a spell.

"Greetings, Death-Dono. You have been cordially invited by Lucifer-Sama to attend a celebration in honor of his sisters victory over Riser Phenex, and have been granted permission to bring two guests. The celebration is to begin in a few hours, so please be on time if you wish to attend. This seal will act as a teleportation circle twice should you accept. Good Day."

And with her explanation complete, the hologram of the maid disappeared from his view. The seal that appeared on the table before him was replaced by an envelope bearing the same sigil in a flash of purple light. Minato stared at the envelope, and thought about what he just witnessed.

He was pleased to hear that Koneko, Issei and the rest of the Gremory Group defeated their opponent, but the tone that woman held when she spoke to him... It was discerning. He couldn't get too good of a reading from what little he had seen of the woman, but she certainly carried herself confidently. She was also refined to a high degree, more so than many of the women he had seen so far in this world.

'Now why would this woman contact me, and not Sirzechs himself?'

Minato was sure he was about to find out, as it would be incredibly rude of him to turn down an invitation to a victory celebration, especially when he helped the group get into the right mindset for such an incursion. The letter gave him the exact time and after checking the clock, he found he only had three hours left until he was expected to be there.

He stood up and opened up his closet, coming face to face with row upon row of different styles of suit. It was the color of the suits that made Minato want to call Azazel back and finish telling the man what he really thought about him.

All of his clothes were now black and velvet blue, outside of his school uniform. Many of the outfits he had purchased when out and about around Kuoh were missing as well. Looking back at the clock, Minato realized that he would not have time to get anything tailored before it was time for the reception to begin.

He also needed to let Bennia and Asia know that they were invited to come with him, as Bennia had helped train them as well, while Asia kept them from becoming too injured after being manhandled by Minato.

"Why does the supernatural world have to be so... so... over the top about absolutely everything?" Minato vocalized his internal thoughts as he made his way from the massive space that made up his bedroom to the fourth floor to tell the girls the news.

 **[EX]**

"Do you see them?"

"They all match, and they match well!"

"Why didn't you wear a red suit to match MY dress, darling?"

The whispers that were being exchanged as Minato, Asia and Bennia made their way through the crowds of Devils that surrounded them were almost enough to make Minato want to take the girls and leave immediately. His desire to speak with Sirzechs about any form of misunderstanding that may develop because of Azazel took antecedence over any form of self consciousness he might be feeling, however, so he continued to press forward.

The couples that lined the hallways and surrounded the refreshment tables looked like they belonged in a fairy tale with how lavishly they were clothed. He felt under-dressed and woefully unprepared if he were to be honest with himself.

Minato was dressed in a velvet blue suit jacket and pant combo, a black dress shirt with a white cravat and black dress shoes that made his feet ache. Two coffin pins were secured on both sides of his suit collar, something Minato almost went without if not from coercion from Bennia.

She insisted that he was appearing in an official capacity, and that he should look the part. He argued that he held no official capacity, but she was not having it. He eventually relented, knowing that there was no sense in arguing with her, as she would just believe what she wanted. No matter how much logical, conclusive evidence he provided, the outcome would remain the same.

Asia wore a dress the same shade of black as Minatos' shirt with a wide flare at the bottom in a bell shape that left her feet free from any material that might trip her up. A coffin shaped necklace had replaced the silver cross Minato had seen her clutching at over the past ten days. Her heels were the same shade of black as her dress, and made Asia seem slightly taller than she really was, almost putting the tip of her head at Minatos' chin.

Bennia wore a much more formfitting black dress than Asia, and forwent heels in favor of boots that stopped at her knees. Earrings that matched Minatos' pins and Asias' necklace rested in her ears, and a frilled headband the same shade as her dress held her hair from her face.

Each of the girls wore a long, velvet blue cape that doubled as a scarf as well with coffin engravings in the middle of their lengths, much like the Grim Reapers under Minatos' command now wore. The two were quick to commandeer two of the spare capes, it seems, and just as quick to make sure they matched well.

Overall, they seemed to be the only beings in the room that looked like they were dressed for a funeral. Minato had the idle thought that he would have fit in with Elizabeth and Igor as Elevator Attendants, and it brought him some form of amusement in such a tense atmosphere.

Minato and his entourage were finally approached by the same woman that contacted Minato through holographic projection, wearing the same maid outfit as before. Clearly, she took her job very seriously, as he was sure it was almost compulsive behavior to be showy for the supernatural, no matter the faction. He found that she might be one of the only sane beings left in the world, as he could tell from her posture that she wouldn't be acting like a fool as Sirzechs and Azazel were fond of.

"Death-Dono, it is good to receive you in such a timely manner. If you would follow after me, Lucifer-Sama is waiting for you this way."

She turned on a heel and began to march through the crowd of people that seemed to part for her easily enough. A look was shared between the three before they moved to follow the maid, whom they still did not know the name of.

'She is one serious woman.' Bennia thought to herself as she and Asia followed behind Minato through the crowd of Devils, each feeling hundreds of eyes following their every move.

 **[EX]**

Seated far, far in the back of the Grand Hall that held the victory celebration, Sirzechs Lucifer sat with his close family while his sisters Peerage was not far away at an adjacent table. The center of attention, however, was Rias Gremory and her Pawn Hyoudou Issei, who sat awfully close to one another for such a formal occasion.

Kiba, Koneko and Akeno seemed nonplussed with the affection Rias was displaying for her Pawn, but it was to be expected after the ordeal the two had just faced head on.

When Sirzechs noticed Grayfia appearing through the crowd with his guests following behind her, he almost visibly brightened up.

The color of his suit, however, is what was drawing eyes to him. The coffin pins merely reaffirmed the image he gave. Death was known to wear a trench coat of that same shade during the Great War, and it was almost as if he were teasing the Devils with the reappearance of the rich color.

He looked like he wasn't a man to trifle with lightly, and it solidified Sirzechs plans for the night.

The two females that followed behind him were not quite his height, the purple haired female to his left only reaching his shoulders while the blond on his right wasn't much taller. Each wore black dresses and had coffin motifs on their body to signify their loyalty to Death.

It was appropriate that such a symbol was becoming renown in the Underworld, as the results of the Rating Game between Riser Phenex and his little sister were broadcasted live all across the city of Lilith and beyond.

It was that train of thought that brought Sirzechs from his seated position to formally greet the being they called Death.

"I see that you clean up very well, Death-Dono." Sirzechs idly complimented when Minato was finally within speaking distance. "I thank you very much for attending this nights wonderful festivities on behalf of not only myself, but my dear sister and her Peerage as well."

"No problem... Lucifer-Dono. It is good to be here." Minato was quick to understand that such a formal occasion required him to play politics for a moment, something he was normally loathe to do in any fashion. He was better at killing than he was at dealing with foolishness, but he supposed the setting required a certain level of refinement that he most certainly possessed. Mitsuru had beaten it into him on more than one occasion when the two spent time together.

"Where are my manners tonight, forgive me," Sirzechs quickly broke the silence before beconning to his maid that had returned to his side after delivering Minato and his two guests to him. "This is my Queen and head maid, Grayfia Lucifuge."

She nodded politely to Minato, and he returned the gesture.

"My father Zioticus Gremory, Lord of the Gremory clan, and my wonderful mother Venelana Gremory, Matriarch of the Gremory clan." Sirzechs continued with introductions, and Minato greeted the two figures the same way he greeted Grayfia. Neither seemed to mind his lack of vocal greeting, as they nodded graciously back.

Minato supposed it was his turn to respond, and indicated to Bennia. "This is Bennia, my... Head Servant, and Asia Argento, my..." Minato trailed off and looked at the girl, unsure of how he should address her.

"Co-Head Servant." Asia eventually filled in and nodded her head as if reaffirming her decision. He couldn't refute her statement in the current gathering, but vowed to speak with her on the subject. Minato wanted to make sure she knew that professing such things could potentially keep her from Heaven.

Sirzechs noticed the hesitation but chose not to comment, nor did any other present. The lull in conversation was eventually broken when Sirzechs asked Minato to take a walk with him for a moment, and the two excused themselves from the gathering soon after.

Bennia and Asia easily settled into casual conversation and tales of splendor as Issei began to regale them his tales of heroism and debauchery.

 **[EX]**

"Don't take anything Azazel says seriously."

"Yeah, I kind of figured as much about... hundreds of years ago." Sirzechs stated easily enough, though Minato felt it prudent that he couldn't take Sirzechs any more seriously.

He refrained from such comments when the leader of the Devil faction spun to face him with a quickness with a firm expression on his face.

"I want to thank you, Minato."

"I did not do a thing worthy of thanks." Minato replied easily enough, trying to wave away anything the man might be trying to say, but Sirzechs continued with his speech anyway.

"You can try and blow it off all you want, but you have no idea how grateful I am for helping me correct a grave mistake I made so long ago. When I saw what Issei did to Riser..." He trailed off for a moment, a lost look in his eyes, "It was the most beautiful thing I could have imagined. Every comment he would make about my beloved sister, and the wonderful kids that make up her Peerage... It made my damn blood boil."

Sirzechs shoulders were almost trembling in rage as he thought about the entire situation, but managed to calm himself before continuing, "But Issei declared to the Underworld that you took him under your wing and trained him personally to keep Rias from the arrangement between myself and the Phenex family. He said, and I quote, ' _I have seen Death, and Death has seen me. He taught me to truly appreciate the choices one makes in life,_ _to think before speaking and acting! He taught me compassion and patience_ _, and above that, he taught me enough to screw up your punk ass, so put on your 3D glasses, bitch, because its coming_ _right_ _at you!'"_

"Wow. He really is that dumb? I told him not to say that." Minato admitted while rubbing the bridge of his nose, already dreading the rest of the conversation.

"I thought it was the greatest thing anyone has ever said at a Rating Game ever." Sirzechs defended his sisters Pawn, "And besides, he did it with an attack he claimed you helped him create. A God, someone who has been worshiped since ancient times, came to the aid of my sister, and you helped her forge her own path to victory. The outcome..."

Sirzechs trailed off, a troubled look appearing on his face for a moment before vanishing, "Regardless, it is both my wish, and my sisters, to reward you for your hand in her victory."

"My reward is knowing your sister can make her own choice and that her Peerage will not end up under the control of Riser. They told me what type of person he was, and imagining Koneko, or any of the others under his control... It made me sick." Minato stated after thinking over his response, feeling yet another headache coming on. He knew Sirzechs wouldn't take no for an answer, but perhaps telling the man that he already had a reward would change his mind.

It didn't.

"You know I can't accept no for an answer. You know why I can't accept no for an answer, either." Sirzechs stated in all seriousness, his good humor draining away at hearing the denial.

"I do not affiliate myself with the Grigori, despite what Azazel has stated I assure you. I do not want to upset the balance." Minato stated with a pained expression on his face, "I am not Death. I am just Minato. Just. Minato. I did not want to be involved in ANY of this."

"And yet you are, now. There is no going back from this, you know. When Issei announced that he learned from you, he let the entire Underworld know you were alive. I am sure you know just what kind of threat certain beings lurking around here can be..." Sirzechs fired back, his voice gaining a bit of heat to it, "Are you going to sit here and deny your identity when so many of us have seen who you truly are?"

"But none of you know who I truly am, it seems." Minato idly noted while shifting his weight to his right foot, feeling the tension in the air escalating to a point that he felt Sirzechs was actually going to lash out at him.

"Then I want you to look at this, 'Minato', and I want you to explain to me what you see." Sirzechs ground out while removing what looked to be an ancient, papyrus envelope of sorts.

Minato gently took offered object, and at the behest of Sirzechs, opened it up and removed the small picture painted on high quality canvas material, hardened by starch.

His eyes widened, and he felt his mouth go dry.

There, sitting upon the shores of Acheron in the Land of the Dead, Minato and the woman in black faced one another with smiles on their faces. The painting was so life like that it made his heart ache, yet he couldn't explain it. He had no words to express his thoughts, as jumbled as they were, and the sinking feeling that had been present in his stomach the entire night grew fifty fold.


	11. Danse Macabre

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter 11, Danse Macabre**_

 _This is becoming my most popular story, easily. It is the fastest growing, gaining 218 reviews, and over 23000 views. HOLY. COW. MAN. In just 10 days? Dude, my most popular story has been sitting at 223 for 5 dang years now! I havn't updated it since 2011, but you know..._

 _I love you guys. I have been pretty down lately, and writing has really improved my mood. I actually want to do something besides work and sleep now, and that's a wonderful feeling. So thank you, from the bottom of my coal black heart!_

 _Also, due to unforeseen circumstances, it seems Issei will not be gaining his peerage way down the line. We have basically robbed him of most of his Harem. Good job team!_

Don't get me started on the depravity that are Oranges. I have seen sum shiiet.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

"I... I don't know." Minato mumbled out as his left thumb gently stroked the aged painting in his hand. He blinked back the tears that welled in his eyes and placed the painting back in its protective casing made of papyrus. "I cannot begin to explain."

Sirzechs continued to stare at him as if he were looking past his physical body and into the crystalline depths of his soul. Those sea foam green eyes pierced the silver veil, and Minato could see the sadness lurking behind those conflicted eyes.

"Well... I am sorry for bothering you with this." The Devil eventually relented and sighed deeply, the tension in his shoulders seemingly melting, along with his anger. In its place was a sort of dejected feeling, a melancholy that felt as if it had been lurking there all along.

Minato did not know what to say, so he said nothing. The two stood there in silence for quite a while, listening to the cheerful banter and beautiful music that wafted gently through the night air. The night sky was more beautiful than on the surface, Minato noticed, but maybe it was that majestic shade of deep, deep purple that stained his opinion.

"You know more than you let on." Minato idly noticed, tilting his head to stare at the crimson Satan with heavy eyes, "What am I missing?"

A knowing look was sent his way before Sirzechs tapped his jacket where the envelope was tucked away.

"You may not remember the World you left behind, but the World remembers you... Thanatos."

 **[EX]**

Tears spilled from blue eyes as a small figure with blond hair pulled back into two drill-like tails on either side of her head stared downwards at her brother, bathed in false moonlight. She shuddered as she studied the pale figure resting fitfully under sheets of white, heavy sweat pouring from his face as if his internal temperatures were too much for him to take. The tears would fall onto the figure before hissing and steaming away, just as his body fluids were beginning to.

His flesh was blackened in places and beginning to rot in others. The doctors that had tended to him stated there was nothing they could do, as the energy from the Pawns attack was eating away at his own, preventing its ability to regenerate from the wounds.

She continued to cry as she placed her hands in a praying position before kneeling over the sleeping figure, and she bowed her head. She prayed to any God, Goddess or Divinity to hear her prayers, but nobody came.

A few moments after kneeling, she rose with a devastated expression on her face. A small tap on the door barring entrance to the room rang out, causing her to wipe her tears and brush her hands across her dress.

"You may enter." Came her voice, in flux from the emotions she felt roaring through her. The door opened slowly, and a figure that looked strikingly similar to the man in the bed stepped through.

"You are missing the party entirely..." The concern in the figures voice was nearly palpable, "Come... _He_ has been spotted in attendance."

She nodded her head and a blank visage quickly settled over her face, hiding away the pain, sorrow and fear she was feeling.

A single flash of reddish orange light later, and she departed from the wounded figure. She did not see him twitch his hand in their direction as they disappeared.

 **[EX]**

Minato walked back to the celebration side by side with Sirzechs, both with conflicted looks on their faces as they drew closer and closer. He schooled his face into its usual apathetic mask and stuffed his hands in his pants pocket before scanning the room once more upon his reentry.

He spotted Sitri Sona and her group of Student Council members in the crowd within the first few seconds due to being familiar with their faces and energy, though he could not admit to recognizing any other person. It was to be expected, he supposed, but it was still discomforting to be in such a crowded room with Supernatural beings, knowing that any one of them could turn their ire on him at any moment.

The warning he received from Sirzechs was much appreciated, as it let him know to stay on his guard. He was going to make his way to Bennia and Asia to warn them to also remain vigilant before he was cut off by Rias Gremory, the very person the nights festivities were thrown for.

"There you are! I was worried my brother was going to keep you all night, Minato!" She called out, causing him to pause in his forward path to his 'Servants' as they called themselves. He shrugged his shoulders and turned to face her fully, doing his best to forget his troubled thoughts to at least pretend to enjoy the rest of the night.

"Hello, Rias. Congratulations on your victory, by the way." Minato greeted back, taking notice of the black dress she wore with pride. She was beautiful, he had to admit, but spoiled. Very spoiled. He could tell that the dress was probably worth its weight in silver, and the jewels she wore could buy a city. It suited her.

"Thank you, very much!" Rias smiled, her face threatening to split in two when she reached out. "Will you share a dance with me? Please?"

He nodded shallowly before allowing the redhead to guide him towards the middle of the room, and the watching eyes followed their every movement. It was almost embarrassing, but he pushed passed it and hoped that he could remember how to not make a fool of himself.

It was to be expected, he supposed, for the 'guest of honor' and the star of the party to be watched so scrupulously. Any nervousness disappeared when the song changed to a classical piece he vividly recognized.

"You know, many people are talking about you, Minato." Rias admitted as the two embraced one another not unlike lovers, Minatos' hand wrapped around her waist and his hand placed in hers. She held lightly to his shoulder and took the lead of the first dance.

"Let them talk. They know nothing about me." He murmured back, his voice easily carrying over the music despite its low tone. It held a chilling effect, like the sound of crystalline snow falling from the branches of dormant trees. He was not a member of 'High Society', whether Human or Devil. Minato knew that he was being spoken about frequently by those present in the halls, he could hear them very well and he knew that his face would become well known soon enough.

"They think you look great." He could also tell she was inferring that she, too, thought he looked great. The second pair of sea foam green eyes stared into silver that night, though hers reflected happiness more so than somberness. He could see the confusion and the pain she hid skillfully. He had a feeling it was related in some fashion to her Pawn and something he did, though whether it was related to his perversions or not was a toss up.

"I thank them for their compliments."

The two enjoyed a relaxed silence between the two as they twirled in between the other couples, each lost in their own thoughts. He could tell the redhead was conflicted, but it was not his place to voice his thoughts and they both knew it. Instead, he distracted her with his skill in the waltz, taught to him by another gorgeous redhead he left behind.

He considered it a moment of mourning as he thought of her.

 **[EX]**

Asia, Bennia and Koneko quickly let him know that they, too, would enjoy a dance with him before the end of the night. Asia was kind in her assurance that she could wait until he was ready, but Koneko and Bennia, however, were not as kind.

His ribs were sure to be bruised by Konekos' prodding.

The white haired Devil was not as skilled in dancing as her King, but she was no slouch when it came to not stepping on toes. He enjoyed the silence she, too, offered him during their moment on the dance floor. The purple dress she wore complimented her, Minato had to admit. Not too conservative, but nothing as daring as what he had seen quite a few women wearing in the crowd.

She smelled of cherries and chocolate, something that tickled his nose with its scent. It was not unpleasant, and he found it to be fitting of her. She seemed almost sleepy with how lazily she danced, but he was equally as slow in his movement and complimented her style.

He was a fan of some of the finer things in life, and Koneko had received lessons.

Bennia was the polar opposite. She had no skill in dancing, but demanded his attention regardless. He humored her two dances, and his toes ached far more than they did before. It was only the skillful, and silent, application of a Dia spell that kept him going through the second dance he shared with her. She would mutter out apologies and before long she was blushing from embarrassment. He quietly assured her that he was fine, and guided the Grim Reaper through the dancing as they moved.

His Co-Head Servant as she dubbed herself, Asia, was too nervous to stop herself from also subjecting his feet to her pointed heels, and yet again he was silently healing himself throughout the ordeal. Minato made a note to himself to teach the two to dance if they were forced to attend another event such as this.

He had a feeling it was going to become a more frequent occurrence than he would hope for, and wondered if there was a good selection of classical he could find at the local music store near his home. Minato was sure it wouldn't take long to make sure the two were able to dance with the Lords and Ladies in the crowds, all whose eyes followed him as he moved.

He was departing from the dance floor when he was approached by a young blond girl dressed in purple.

"Death-Dono...?"

He had to prevent a groan from escaping his lips as he answered in the positive. He could no longer claim to be otherwise, and he was getting tired of being around crowds of Devils for the night. "Yes?"

"My name is Ravel Phenex. Would you... would you care to dance with me?"

The nervousness, the heart wrenching sadness in her tone caused him to nod, and he held his hand out for her to take.

The warmest skin he had ever felt melted into his icy cold palms, and he guided her to the area from which he just departed.

"What is it you wish to ask?" Minato eventually questioned as she moved closer to him, her body heat radiating outwards gently until he could feel her through his suit. The two were there for quite some time before he finally spoke up. She looked like she wanted to explain, but she stopped herself and drew in a shaky breath.

The two made another revolution before she spoke. "My brother... he is on his death bed. Whatever it is that Pawn did to him," The bitterness was palpable, "Whatever it is you granted him... it is killing my brother. He is withering away! I can give you money, power, bottles of my tears, I would give you my life, but I implore you, please... spare him!"

Her voice easily cut over the music and the many sets of eyes watched even more closely, almost accusingly. That was when Minato understood the anger he had been feeling from certain figures in the room, the tension in the air that wasn't just his nerves. He could feel that there were two particular types of people watching, or of two different political opinions rather.

There were the Purebloods, who believed that nobility should be maintained, and the purity of their blood status was at stake. This group likely supported the union that would have come between the Phenex and Gremory marriage, and for an outsider such as himself to interfere, even indirectly, it was the greatest slight he could give.

On the other hand, the families he could tell were more closely associated with the Gremory family seemed to find it most gratifying. These families more than likely had bad blood with the Phenex family, and would rather see the Phenex family lose 'Prestige' than have the clan heir of the Gremory married into their ranks.

He considered his options, and he was left wanting.

He could deny her, and allow Riser to perish. He would lose standing with the Pureblood Devils that rivaled the Gremory, who he could tell he already earned the favor of. It might very well be inferred that Issei using such an attack, something the Devil gained from stealing his energy, was an assassination attempt.

This could cascade into his own small group of dependents being made target for assassination attempts, as well as himself. If enough were in favor of declaring a war, no matter how small his numbers may be, he could find himself no longer neutral to the Devils and drawn into conflict his subordinates were woefully unprepared for.

If he accepted and attempted to heal the Phenex, and failed to do so... the repercussions might very well be the same.

He was left with no options, and it was all because he helped train the Gremory Group. This was Isseis' fault.

"Your brother... he is not a good man. He has done disgusting things to those in his Peerage, and he would have done the same to those who are loyal to Rias." Minato spoke while the two continued to dance, feeling her shoulders tremble in his grasp, "But you are not a bad person. You know what type of man he is, and you beg for him anyway?"

She did not cry, could not cry in the presence of other Devils, but she felt her breath hitching further. Ravel felt that her only shot at saving her brother was denying her this mercy, and she could feel her world falling apart.

Death, the one who granted the Pawn the strength he needed to destroy her King, would not spare her brother from his grasp. She felt she would collapse until he continued to speak, his voice gaining warmth to it.

"I will try my best."

She looked up and gifted him with a small, watery smile.

 **[EX]**

After departing from the celebration and sending Bennia and Asia back home through the teleportation spell provided by the Gremory family, Minato followed behind Ravel as she flew through the air as quickly as she could to lead him to her home, many many miles away. Due to not being a member of the Phenex family, nor having the location of her home, they would have to travel through other means than teleportation.

Minato kept up by stepping through the shadows and appearing further and further down the path she was taking, expending less energy than he would have if he ran. Before too long, the two departed from Gremory Territory and grew closer and closer to where he assumed Ravel lived, due to her picked up pace and the large castle they were rapidly approaching.

The guards that guarded the castle would have stopped him, and even motioned to do so, but her screaming at them from her position in the air stayed their hands. Moments later, he was standing at the massive portcullis waiting for Ravel to land.

No other servant dared stop them, seeing the look on the young girls face. Many even turned and went in the opposite direction. Minato found them to be reasonable.

He was standing before the blackened and beaten body of Riser Phenex moments later, listening to his raspy and uneven breathing as carefully as he could.

The appearance of two men who could very well pose as older brothers to Ravel and Riser in the doorway did not surprise Minato in the slightest, having felt them drawing closer from their massive energy sources.

"Death-Dono... What are you doing in my home?" The man he could only assume was Lord Phenex eventually spoke, his tone terse and barely restrained. The other male quickly moved to silence his father, though not harshly.

"At Ravels request, and my own, Father."

"Ruval? You dare? You dare bring this... this monster into our home, knowing that he is the reason Riser is in this condition?" The Lord of the Castle looked ready to explode into action, and Minato tensed the energy in his body to begin casting Bufudyne and Niflheim spells at the drop of a hat.

Ruval shot him a disarming glance before placing his hands on his fathers shoulders and leading him away. It was an understood request to do what he came to do.

Minato turned back to the wounded figure dressed in white, and allowed his energy to become unbound from its restraints. It leaked through the air and sought out that which dwelled within the dying Devil before him.

A frown appeared on his face as he began to notice a pattern in the energy network that flowed through the Phenex, and then came understanding.

The energy that Issei absorbed from him acted as a Mudo spell would, in the fact that it caused rapid cellular division to the point it could be considered rapid aging. The left over energy from Isseis' attack was preventing the Phenex from regenerating because it was too busy fighting the effects of the enhanced aging his body was undergoing.

Mortality versus Immortality.

Minato turned to Ravel and pointed to her necklace, which she nervously clutched at for a second before shedding it and handing it to him.

Placing the gemstone down in the center of his chest, Minato pulled the purplish black flames from the core of the Phenex and sealed them away, staining the once pristine gem with its deathly taint. He placed the necklace in her still extended hands and took a step away from his position over Riser.

Riser drew in a deep breath and his wounds began to vanish before their eyes. The color returned to his skin and his profuse sweating and steaming ceased almost immediately. The blackness did not fade right away, nor did the wounds that looked almost fatal, but they began to knit themselves back slowly but surely.

He felt something collide with his side, and tears began to soak into his jacket.

"Please get off of me."

She didn't let go of him until her brother opened his eyes. Minato chose that moment to make himself scarce, and stepped backwards into the deep shadows cast by the bright, false moonlight that began to fill the room. He took one last look at the massive orb and swore he saw a figure looming high in the sky, watching him as he disappeared into the cold, black depths.

An infinitesimal smile appeared on a porcelain white face, and long, silken black hair blew in the breeze.

 **[EX]**

"May I help you?" Minato asked in a bored tone, staring down at the two tailed black cat that had begun stalking him around town the moment he left his home.

"Meow~."

"Don't Meow me, I know you can understand me."

"Meeeow~."

He snatched the cat up by the scruff of its neck and brought it to his face. His face became shadowed as he tilted his head downwards slightly and circular, silver eyes peeked from behind blue bangs.

" **I am not going to ask again. What. Do. You. Want?** "

The cat did not meow again. Smart cat.


	12. White Cats Woes, Black Cats Blues

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter 12, White Cats Woes, Black Cats Blues**_

 _Too many of you like Kuroka for your own good. Y'all need Persona Jesus._

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Kuroka was staring at the teenager she had no shame in stalking with barely concealed arousal. He seemed displeased to see her, but was at least courteous enough to hear her out before eviscerating her like many of the Gods she knew of would have.

"How did you know I liked chains, nyaa~?"

Minato had to fight the urge to blanch and continued to stare at the woman now bound in chains before him. After he snatched her up by the scruff of her neck, she revealed herself to be a woman named Kuroka, a member of an organization whose leader was very interested in recruiting him.

The black robed woman had barely finished speaking before the chains sped from his sleeve and bound her tightly. She attempted to struggle, but the seals that had appearing on the lengths of steel links removed her access to her vast stores of energy before she could escape. Now he faced her down in the middle of a forest somewhere in Brazil, far, far away from his home.

"You are not being entirely honest."

She had the decency to look ashamed at being called out before she shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe so, but I am not lying either, Nya!"

"Stop that when I am speaking to you."

"Make me!"

He was sorely tempted to zap her with a Mazio spell, but from what he could discern, she would probably enjoy it more than not. He reached his finger out and zapped her with the smallest Zio spell he could release, causing her to yelp lightly at the shock. It was nothing more than what one would get from static build up, but it got her attention none the less.

"You really don't want me to silence you. Just... be honest with me." Minato sighed at the end of his statement, knowing that he couldn't really torture her nor restrain her for much longer without seeming hostile and not cautious. "Are you here to hurt any of my servants? Are you here for me?"

He couldn't sense a lick of negative intent from her, but that didn't mean she wasn't a threat.

"As I said, I came to recruit you, not hurt you! You are too damn good looking for that!"

Now she was pouting. Great. He could tell she was being being honest when she said so, though, and knew he didn't have to worry about a surprise attack.

"With the kind of week I have had, you will have to forgive me for being... cautious." Minato eventually relented and the chains disappeared as well as the seal locks. She stretched her arms above her head, and made it obvious she was trying to dazzle him with her breasts. The black folds of her yukata fell away more than they already were and exposed her flesh fully, causing him to turn his head with a displeased look on his face.

He had to admit, she had a body to kill for, but he was Arisato Minato and he would be damned before he fell for such a thing. It wasn't like she had anything he hadn't seen before.

"Stop that. It's... inappropriate."

"Aww, don't be such a mood kill, Nya!" Kuroka refuted before stepping closer to him. She leaned in and quickly licked his cheek before whispering huskily in his ear. "I just want to jump your bones, I promise! Do you have a whip stuffed up your sleeve to go with these chains, nyaaa~?"

"Nope."

He fell backwards to the ground like he was going to lie down from his standing position and sank into the shadows quickly, disappearing from the far away forest he had brought her to.

Not today.

Kuroka felt her jaw fall open as she stared at the space he was previously occupying. She had never been nope'd before, and it made her want him all the more. He wasn't getting away that easily, recruiting him be damned! The Khaos Brigade, Vali AND Ophis could go stuff themselves, she wanted him for herself, now.

The perverse smile that crossed her face would have made even Hyoudou Issei uncomfortable.

 **[EX]**

"Whats wrong, Akeno?" Rias questioned, looking up from her paperwork at her Queen, who had stopped pouring tea and begun staring into space.

She frowned severely before responding. "Someone unworthy has found the perfect Sub, somewhere out there."

Rias didn't know how to respond, so she just went back to perusing her paperwork like it held the answers to life. She wasn't touching that subject even with a twenty foot stick.

 **[EX]**

Two days passed before the black cat Kuroka was once more stalking him through the city. He knew she was there, and she knew he knew she was there as well. He chose to ignore her and continue his way home from school, having spent the passed few days catching up on the large payload of homework he had been neglecting.

Every time she would get too close, he would throw a small ball of catnip that he kept in his pocket in the opposite direction, distracting her long enough for him to continue on his way without having to deal with her antics. If he were to be honest, he felt sort of bad because he knew she couldn't return to her home unless she brought him along. He had absolutely no intentions on joining a Faction calling themselves 'Khaos Brigade'. None whatsoever. At all.

When she stood outside of his window when he laid down to sleep for the night and meowed until he got up, he threw his shoe at her and obviously missed. "Bad cat, go away."

"Why are you being so mean to me, nyaa~?"

"I am sick and tired of you people and your antics. Go. AWAY."

"NO! NOT UNTIL YOU GIVE ME YOUR BABIES!"

He shut the window in her face and laid back down, but not before laying a seal on the window that would drown out the noise she was making. He was thankful he had been studying Devil Seals and Fallen Seals after Azazel and Sirzechs made it clear that such subjects had multiple books dedicated to them for purchase in the Underworld.

It was the most useful type of magics he had studied yet.

If only she would quit making shadow puppets on his wall of vulgar activities with the moonlight. He needed to go curtain shopping again.

 **[EX]**

Kuroka was oddly distant the next day, as he spent most of it walking around town with Koneko at her behest. She seemed almost sad, and it pulled at his heartstrings. He took her by the sweet shop and bought the Nekoshou her favorite candies, but nothing seemed to be drawing her out of her funk.

Finally, after an hour of silence between the two, he guided her to the park and sat the two of them down on the bench almost heavily. He sighed and turned to face her before speaking.

"What is bothering you, Koneko?"

She turned to him with a fake smile on her face before speaking. "Do you not... like me?"

He seemed taken aback at the question and waved his left hand as if clearing the air. "I do like you, Koneko... you are my friend."

The sad smile seemed to grow as she faced the ground and nodded her head at the answer. "You don't have to spend time with me anymore."

His brows furrowed at her tone. "Why would I stop spending time with you?" He was almost fearful of the thought.

She shrugged her shoulders, but did not comment further. She seemed almost depressed, and it was starting to bother him. He reached out and paused for a second, almost taking his hand back, before placing it on top of her shoulder.

"I am sorry, Koneko. I did not mean to make you upset."

She leaned into his hand slightly and placed her hand atop of his, her thumb rubbing across his knuckles. "It is fine, I will be alright."

He didn't believe her. He couldn't, as the dejection she wore like a cloak still hung thick in the air.

Minato stood up and turned to face her before leaning down until they were face to face.

"I enjoy spending time with you, Koneko. You are the... first person to want to be my friend in this city. It would," he frowned and almost cut himself off, but he continued either way, "It would hurt me to lose you."

The smile that she gave him was so conflicted that it hurt for him to behold. He held his hand out for her to take, and she hesitated. She looked up and stared him in the eyes and he almost thought she wouldn't accept before she slipped her small hand into his.

He pulled her up and then close to him before wrapping her up in his arms, his hands resting on the back of her head and between her shoulder blades. His fingers ran through her shoulder length hair and he could feel tears soaking into his black button down.

"Please let me help."

The muffled reply get got let him know that she would at least try. He felt her wrap her arms around his waist, and the two spend a few minutes in their embrace. He had known her for three months now, and this was the first time he noticed she purred.

He stared into space as he thought about the advice he had received from Akihiko and Junpei on the subject of females when they were sad. Their advice wasn't working.

"You haven't seen the inside of my home yet, have you?"

She shook her head in the negative and let go of him slowly, almost as if she didn't want to let go. He smiled down at her, and he received a watery smile in response.

A few moments later, she was exploring the eight floors of his home with wide eyes. On the fourth floor, the two found Bennia and Asia working on... something. The two had slammed the door in their faces and said 'no peaking'. Koneko was curious, but Minato didn't want to know in the least. Anything Bennia had conned Asia into working on couldn't be good for his mental health.

He brought her to the fifth floor, and brought her to the lounge area connected to his office space.

"Whenever you are ready to talk, I will be here to listen." Minato eventually stated as the two sat down upon the plush couch while she ate her sweets. Koneko looked troubled for a moment before nodding her head and scooting close enough to him that she could lean her head on his shoulder, her sweets forgotten.

He was surprised at her showing of closeness, but allowed her to remain as she were. She didn't respond, and fell asleep soon after.

Minato didn't move and allowed her the rest. She looked like she needed it.

 **[EX]**

"Why are you still around?" Minato questioned the two tailed black cat that continued to follow him around the city, not bothering to face her as he posed the question.

She playfully rubbed herself against his leg before beconning for him to follow her with her tails. He rose a brow before nodding, allowing Kuroka to lead him to the clearing in which he first confronted Koneko.

They stood across from one another after she revealed her true form once more, the black yukata pulled up for once.

He was almost impressed.

"What do you want, Kuroka?"

"I resigned from the Khaos Brigade, Nya~."

He shrugged his shoulders in response. "Good for you."

"Aren't you going to ask me why?" Kuroka questioned in a playful tone, stepping closer to him as she spoke.

He took a step back and shook his head in the negative. "Don't want to know, don't care."

"You aren't just the slightest bit curious? Not at all, nyaa~?" She questioned further, continuing to step forward as he stepped backwards. Before long, his back collided with a tree and she swooped in until they were nose to nose. He wanted to disappear into the shadows once more, but she had him cornered in the brightest spot of the clearing.

'Damn. She IS clever.' It was only the fact that she did not leak negative intent that saved her from his chains. That, and the fact that she liked them.

"I left them for you, darling." She kissed the tip of his nose, and he rolled away as she attempted to pull him into her bosom.

"Stop that. I am uncomfortable, and I need an adult."

"Aww, but I AM an adult, nya~!" Kuroka pouted as she attempted to leap at him again. He was quicker than her, and tripped her up as she moved forward, causing her to face plant the ground with her butt in the air. Her tails twitched a few times before she was back on her feet as if nothing had happened.

"That wasn't nice at all! With how sweet you were with Shirone, I thought you would be more gentle!"

He knew who she was speaking of. He knew exactly who she spoke of. The two of them had almost the same scent, if not for the twinge of arousal that seemed to follow Kuroka around. He didn't know that it was only when he was around, it seemed.

"You two do not speak. You have been watching her from a distance, as well." Minato noted aloud, watching her face for a reaction. The playfulness dimmed, and her amber eyes cast themselves downwards before she sighed.

"I can't get close to her. Not after what I have done."

Minato stared at her, tore her down and broke through that aura she gave off. He saw just how bad she was feeling inside, like a curse that emanated directly from her heart.

"Will you tell me?" He eventually questioned as he sat himself down Indian style on the forest floor. She looked up from the ground and saw him point to the spot across from him. With a bitter smile on her face, she sauntered forward and laid herself down before him on her side. Propping her head up with one arm, she began to trace circles in the dirt with her free hand as she spoke.

"It was my fault that the Nekoshou were wiped out. My sister and I... we didn't have anyone else growing up. It was tough, making sure that she had enough to eat while we were moving from town to town, searching for clues of where our parents had disappeared to," She began, her amber eyes darkening at the thoughts of her past, the rancor in her tone almost enough to wilt the grass, "I was eventually offered a place in a high lords Peerage, and things started to look up for us. I was reincarnated as his Bishop, taking both pieces to do so, and the money I was making funded both Shirones' sweet habit and the investigation into our parents disappearance..."

Kuroka trailed off for a moment and looked Minato in the face, to see if he were listening. His silver eyes watched her intently, as if she were revealing a gospel, and it made her heart flutter. His eyes were the most expressive part of him, if she were to be honest, and it felt beautiful to be beheld by the mirror-like surfaces with such intensity.

"Things were too good. He kept pushing for me to continue growing stronger until I surpassed him in strength. Then, he would try and force himself on me. I resisted, until he threatened me with my sister. He... he told me he would experiment on her after he had his way, and I lost my mind in anger. I slaughtered him. I ripped his genitals off, and I stuffed them down his throat. He bled out, and I knew I had to flee. I couldn't take her with me, but I did something else," She took a deep breath, as if she had been running a marathon, "I contacted Lucifer-Sama and told him exactly what happened. He took mercy upon my sister, as the man is a renown Sis-Con himself, at my behest. I was labeled an SS-rank criminal afterwards."

Minato watched as her shoulders began to shake, and he felt his heart go out to her. He could not sense a lick of dishonesty in her words, and her tone was only shaky due to raw emotion. It was moving, for the love one must have for their sibling to do what she did.

Minato related to her. He would do the same for his Family, and he knew it. He would do so much more than that, as well. Minato would have started the apocalypse himself if he knew it would help them in some form or fashion.

"The reason I quit Khaos Brigade is because I want to be closer to Shirone again. I want to hold my sister, and tell her the truth of what happened, but I can't. I can't face her after what I've done. Seeing you with her yesterday, it was like watching a movie. One with a happy ending, because her face lit up when you drew her close to you. I can't miss moments like that, not anymore... Please, will you let me stick around? Just until I can tell her what really happened?"

Minato stood up from the ground and gently brushed off his black suit jacket and pants before looking back at her. He nodded his head and offered her his hand, the same as he had Koneko the day before.

"You may stay as long as you need."

She accepted his help up, and while his hand was in hers, she pulled him forward. Kuroka wrapped her arms around him in a genuine embrace and kissed the top of his head before resting her cheek in his hair.

Minato blinked a few times before he returned the gesture, one arm wrapping around the small of her back. He wouldn't deny Kuroka that much, not after she opened up to him as she did.

"Now give me those babies."

"You just had to ruin it, didn't you?" He murmured into her yukata before zapping her with another weak Zio spell.

She yelped before letting out a loud laugh, rubbing her cheek into his hair even more while pulling him in tighter.

 **[EX]**

"What is this?" Ophis questioned, looking up at the nervous silver haired teenager before her. He held back a flinch at the sudden question before he elaborated.

"Kuroka has betrayed us." Vali stated, standing at attention as if it would spare him her wrath.

Ophis stared down at the piece of paper in her hand before looking back up to Vali, then back to the paper.

 _'He's Mine!'_

The paw print in the middle of the paper, just below the words, was how Ophis knew it was genuine.

She frowned before the paper was torn into hundreds of pieces by the current of energy she released. The Infinite Dragon God looked up and stared at Vali for a few moments before waving him away. "Begone."

He did not need to be told twice, and he walked in earnest into the portal that Ophis had opened up.

Soon, she was left alone with her thoughts as she stared up at the undulating colors of the sky.

'I, will have to retrieve him myself...'


	13. The Consequences of Ones Choices

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter 13, The Consequences of Ones Choices**_

 _I'm not trying to say your Waifu is a shit, but..._

 _Just kidding, seriously. Who takes anything I say to heart?_

 _I am glad you all enjoyed seeing Kuroka, because she was actually really fun to write about._

 _Sorry for the double update, but I wanted to get this one out before I fell asleep. I know the Nekoshou massacre is Fanon, but it will play its part later, I promise. I don't include things without a reason._

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

"Issei."

"Yeah? Whats up Minato-Senpai?" The brown haired teenager quickly responded, almost seemingly happy that he was being spoken to for once instead of stared at like he was repulsive.

"I want to talk with you after class. Meet me at my building, will you?" Minato questioned, watching as Issei shuffled from one foot to another, almost as if he were jittery.

"Sure thing, man!"

"See you, then." Minato murmured, stepping passed Issei and into the crowds of students once more and disappearing as if he were never there. Issei was left standing there with his thumb held up to no one in particular before he realized he was alone once more. 'How the hell does he DO that?'

No one could figure it out, not even Koneko, and it bothered the Devils to no end that someone as powerful as Minato could slip under their radars in a split second should he chose to do so by simply suppressing his energy and leaning his head down. It was unnatural, even to the Devils.

Minato was already making his way to the roof when he crossed paths with Sona, whom he nodded to gratefully. She had done him a favor and enrolled his Head and Co-Head servants as students for the agreement to play her in chess every now and again. It was the oddness of the request, and its non-political nature, that caused him to accept.

He had asked Asia and Bennia the week before if they wished to attend school with him, and both eagerly accepted the offer. His reasoning was threefold. It would allow him to defend them should any Supernatural being decide to attack. It would allow the two to make friends, something he felt the two were sorely lacking, as well.

It would also not be right for him to leave them home without an education, though both had already proven themselves to be sharp studies.

Well, Asia did. Bennia more than likely cheated off of Asia for the entrance exam. He would make sure to correct such behavior before she became dependent on her fellow servant for her answers instead of finding them for herself.

No one bothered the two as they approached Minato, knowing that 'Sweet Prince' would more than likely become the 'Ghost Prince' if they made a move towards the two protected individuals.

There were rumors that the only guy to attempt to do so in his presence later had to move between homes three times in a week to avoid the 'spirits' that were haunting him.

Minato had no hand in it, of course, and did not even know what happened involving that student in particular. It was Bennia, the delinquent, but the blame was easily placed on Minato who was none the wiser.

The purple haired Grim Reaper was not going to be propositioned in the presence of her Master, not without severe repercussions being dealt for such a slight!

At least, that was her excuse to Asia, who knew the truth behind the matter.

The kind blond merely smiled at the girl, a knowing smile that made Bennia almost nervous, and did not comment on the subject at all.

It was not her place to do so, after all.

The two fell in step with Minato as they had grown used to and followed him to the roof, where the three shared a large bento packed by Asia that morning.

Minato could not express how grateful he was to the girl and her cooking, as it saved him from the horrid gas station food that he had survived on the first few months of living in Kuoh. He had bought her as many cooking books as she could fit on her bookshelf when she asked for new material to learn from, and she treated them all as if they were small babies with how gently she handled them.

Like she thought they would disappear if she held them too tightly, or handled them too roughly.

He noticed that about anything he had gifted Asia during her stay with him, or anything Bennia had gotten for the girl. She treated them all as if they were sacred treasures. Minato found it endearing, and somewhat concerning. He was worried about her, and he made plans to speak with her after Issei was dealt with.

Minato could already feel the headache coming on.

 **[EX]**

"Holy crap, Senpai! Where did you get this kind of dosh?" Issei questioned as the two made their way to the elevator, Minato having retrieved Issei from the reception area after he texted him and let him know he arrived. He really wanted to know how Issei got his number, though it was most likely Sirzechs fault. He wouldn't be surprised if every Devil in Kuoh didn't have his number by now.

Issei continued to gawk at the many different paintings lining the walls, each one likely expensive enough to purchase his parents home. The sculptures of men and women wielding scythes, scales and chalices were spaced between each painting with a small tag that denoted their sculptors. They were fine pieces, and Minato slowly found himself growing more and more fond of the home Azazel had made of the building as the days went by.

"Bounty hunting." Minato answered easily enough, finding no reason to keep the information from Issei, "He was a lucrative target."

"I'll bet! What poor son of a bitch did you go after?" The brown haired Devil questioned as the two stepped into the elevator, his eyes widening in suspense. Issei had taken Minatos' advise to heart and had begun to study the many different mythical figures that still roamed the lands, and he had even passed Akenos' test when she quizzed him on his knowledge. His reward was so, so worth it.

He should take Minatos' advice to heart more often.

"The Star of God, Kokabiel. He was being naughty, and thought he could get away with High Treason against the Grigori."

Issei felt his jaw trying to hit the floor and motioned to catch it before it did.

"K... Kokabiel? Like, the military arm of the Grigori Kokabiel?"

"There are more Kokabiels?"

"... Yeah, I know, it was a stupid question. Don't make me feel worse than I do already."

"You're right. You do a good enough job on your own."

Minato motioned for Issei to continue following after the elevator opened up, and soon Issei was seated in one of the most comfortable plush chairs he had ever sat in. Minato was seated across the desk between them, his fingers laced together and placed beneath his chin.

He seemed to be lost in thought as he stared blankly into space, far past Issei and the issues he brought to him.

"You talk too much, you know. My presence was concealed by Azazel and Sirzechs, for the most part, until your match," Minato began, his eyes regaining focus, "You painted a massive target on not only myself, but Bennia and Asia as well. If you want to get technical, you are also a potential target, as well as your group due to your... association with myself. I do not fear for myself. I fear for YOU."

"I... I..."

"I am not finished, Issei," Minato cut him off, raising his left hand to silence the brown haired Devil, "You have not only done all of this with just one admission, but you also nearly KILLED your opponent. Have you ever taken the life of another person, no matter the species, before? Have you gained the taint that comes with taking sentient life?"

"I...can help protect them!"

"Have you or have you not?"

Issei couldn't answer in the positive, so he shook his head and continued to listen to his castigation.

Minato leaned over the table until they were almost face to face.

"I have destroyed Gods and Goddesses, and bent Lucifer and Metatron themselves to my will. Issei... What could you possibly do to protect someone like me?"

Issei had no answer to the question.

"I am going to seal away the energy that you siphoned from me. It will not be permanent, but leaving such a volatile power with you as it stands..." Minato trailed off and motioned for Issei to present his left hand.

After a few moments, the brown haired Devil complied, and a small black seal appeared on the back of his hand. In the center of the seal was a stylized skull, not unlike the headpiece of Thanatos.

"You will still have access to Boosted Gear, but the Mudo Flame will remain hidden. Only when you are willing to use this power appropriately, have the right mindset, will it return to you. I will not devour the flame, nor snuff it. I want it to be your _Memento Mori_ , your reminder that Life is fleeting, while Death is eternal."

"Y-yeah, I understand," Issei murmured, looking as if he lost his life savings on a bad bet, "I am sorry for putting us in danger! That... that is not what I wanted at all!"

"Apology accepted, Issei."

The two spoke for close to an hour before Issei had to leave, having a contract to fulfill before the end of night. Minato sat there for a few moments, going over his thoughts before he stood and straightened his jacket. He turned out the lights and left from his office for the night, ignoring the pile of wax sealed envelopes he continued to receive daily from Devils and Fallen alike.

He had enough of politics already, and he had only just begun to become involved. He opened his bedroom door and went to grab his recent purchase when he noticed her.

"Kuroka, get out of my bed and put some clothes on. Right now."

"Aww, you know you want me, Nyaa~!"

 **[EX]**

"You called for me, Death-Sama?" Came a gentle voice from his doorway, causing Minato to look up from the book he was scanning through and nod.

"Come in, Asia. Would you like to sit with me for a while?"

She nodded her head shyly and slid into the seat across from him at the table he was resting at. The library attached to his office continued to grow full as he placed orders for more books dealing with the Supernatural through Azazel, finding the Fallen were a bit more forthcoming with information than the Devils.

"How have you enjoyed living here so far, Asia?" Minato questioned, gently shutting the old book on healing spells before setting it down beside him, his attention fully focused on the blond before him.

"I have loved it, Death-Sama! I have never had such... freedom, of movement and living conditions before! I... you aren't going to... kick me out, are you?"

The devastated look that flashed across her face let him know that her troubles ran deeper than she was forthcoming with, and he quickly informed her otherwise.

"I have no intentions of making you leave. You will live here until you chose to leave yourself, I promise. I just want to understand something you had said. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Asia relaxed upon hearing that she wasn't getting kicked out, and nodded her head resolutely at his question. "I will answer anything you ask, Death-Sama!"

"You know that... I am not a 'Deity' of the Abrahamic Faith, correct? You proclaimed to serve me at the victory celebration, and I need you to understand that such things are not declarations you can make lightly." Minato began, looking troubled by the fact that he was having such a conversation, "You will most likely be kept from Heaven under such circumstances. Is that something you really wish to do, despite your faith?"

Asia leaned back in the plush chair and sighed deeply. Her eyes darkened to the point that her emerald green orbs were borderline black, and Minato felt the change in her mood immediately.

"What has caused you to lose your faith in God, Asia?"

"What is the point of worshiping a God that can't hear you?" Her voice was deathly quiet, almost departed in tone. "What is the point when he ignored me? Let me almost become an experiment? Let me be almost defiled? What is the point when God is dead?"

Minato felt his eyes widen, and realization set in. "How do you know this?"

"Kokabiel. He... he would tell me every night that I was praying in vain, that he couldn't hear me. That God wasn't coming for me. YOU came for me though! You gave me a home, and clothing, and food, and... and..."

Asia broke down in tears and clutched at the necklace around her throat, almost desperately, "You gave me a new chance to live, Death-Sama! How could I not want to serve you? To hold on to your divinity and never let go of my faith in you? You... you saved me when no one else would, when Heaven turned its back on me!"

"Asia..."

"I live for you, now, Death-Sama, not God. At least you can hear my prayers, can protect me when I can't protect myself! You are here, now, and I can actually reach out and touch you! I see how you interact with those around you, as an aloof, benevolent older brother! You care about the strangers, and the fools, and the sinners! I see it in your eyes, hear it in your words, I feel it in my heart! You wouldn't leave me behind!"

Minato felt her anguish, and he couldn't help it. He felt a tear fall as he listened to her heartfelt plea, her confession of her fears. The loss of her faith broke her, and she was barely keeping it together. That was when Minato understood that he was her foundation, her reason for continuing. If he had turned her away when Azazel introduced her, she likely would have taken her own life in despair before long.

"I welcome you into my fold, Asia, and hope that your faith in me is not misplaced."

Asia looked up, and for the first time since she had begun living with him, a genuine smile crossed her face. It was almost radiant, and he could feel a connection form between them immediately. Like that between Bennia and the Grim Reapers, so too could he now feel Asia and her light pouring into his Sea of Souls. He felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, even if only slightly.

"My faith in you is not misplaced, Death-Sama. It never will be. I have seen your graciousness, and it is greater than my creator."

He pulled the chair next to him closer and patted it, beconning her to his side of the table. She accepted the position and the two perused ancient tombs on healing magics until the sun came up. Minato did not regret another sleepless night.

 **[EX]**

"Checkmate. You are getting better, Death-Dono."

"I have told you, call me Minato. Please."

"You know I can't do that."

"And yet you let me address you by your first name, Sona?" Minato questioned, tilting his head to the side slightly as he reset the board, as if curious as to why she were being so formal.

She had been good company, and did not add to the delinquent behavior that seemed to surround him. Playing chess again was pleasant, and reminded him of better times at the Iwatodai Dorm. Junpei was stellar at the game, and had challenged the patience of Minato on more than one occasion.

Sona was easily his superior at the game, but his unorthodox tactics seemed to have, at the very least, caught her off guard on more than one occasion.

She was a textbook player, and there wasn't a thing about him that fell under that category.

"You raise a good point. Minato-Dono, then."

"Please, why can't you be reasonable?" Minato questioned, almost pained to know that even Sona seemed to have a personality quirk that he likened to all Supernatural.

"I... fine. Fine. Minato, then." Sona eventually relented while pushing up her glasses. She made the first move of the game and he reciprocated in kind.

"It sounds like it hurts you to speak with me so informally."

"No, it is not that. I just do not wish to... step on your toes."

"Who told you about that?" Minato asked with an astonished look in his eyes, having been almost sure he kept the girls dancing habits from the view of the Devils.

"I noticed the faint thrum of healing magic as I danced near you a few times, I must admit."

He supposed that little exchange was clearly in her favor. Either way, it was good banter, and it was nostalgic to exchange such things over a chess board.

"You seem a bit troubled, Sona." Minato finally stated, noticing that she continued to look through the window and at the front gates of the school. The game had gone on for quite some time, and it was the closest match yet.

He turned his gaze and focused on the two figures lurking there, just out of plain view from the school.

Minato was certainly not expecting more exorcists to show themselves in Kuoh, especially after his man handling of the last one he crossed paths with. Perhaps the Church did not keep up with their subordinates?

"Do you wish for me to handle it? I understand that Devils and exorcists hardly see eye to eye." Minato eventually offered, seeing the conflicted look on her face as she judged her options in her head.

Sona turned to him and seemed to consider his offer greatly before nodding her head, almost wearily.

"What do you want in return?"

He scoffed before shaking his head in the negative. "Keeping the peace deserves no reward."

The glasses she wore seemed to glint in the light, and a small smile appeared on her stern face. "Wise words indeed, Minato."

He shrugged his shoulders and rose from his seated position. He was almost out of the door when he stopped and turned to look at her over his shoulder.

"Checkmate, by the way."

He didn't see the frantic look in her eyes as she snapped her head to the chessboard, or the shaking of her hand as she reached up to remove her glasses, having departed as soon as he spoke.

 **[EX]**

The two of them certainly carried themselves like warriors, Minato noticed as he drew close to the gate.

One had chestnut brown hair that pooled far passed her hood and seemed to carry a... painting on her back? He was unsure of why such a thing needed to be carried around, but decided he didn't really care either. She carried a large blade on her side, almost reverently as she shifted to shield the sword with her body almost involuntarily.

The other figure had blue hair with a green streak running through, and a sword wrapped in bandages on her back. She carried herself as if she were prepared for a crusade, and it worried him to see such a thing. Was the Church really so arrogant?

"What are exorcists doing in Kuoh?" Minato questioned after coming to a rest before the two, startling them from their thoughts.

'I didn't even see him coming!'

'He doesn't have a presence at all? Yet he knows what we are?'

"We do not answer to you. Begone, your being here is not needed."

"Your presence threatens the cease fire. This is not Church territory. Leave immediately." Minato was not amused at the attitude the girl was giving off, so full of superiority it made him nauseous.

"We are on a mission from God, and there is no territory that is not his." Came the response from the blue haired girl after lowering her hood, her eyes aflame with righteousness.

He released the hold on his energy as slightly as he could, just enough for his shadow to begin twitching and writhing as if possessed. "I am only going to ask you one more time before I am forced to take action."

Both seemed to swallow the words in their mouths before nodding. They were warned that Death was rumored to be in the vicinity, and that they were to avoid confronting him at all cost, and instead focus on the mission. They figured that he was a massive being that would be easy to identify from his presence alone.

Neither knew that Death was a student at the academy they were staking out, or that he would have the most chilling silver eyes one could behold.

"We... we can explain?"


	14. Running from your Ghosts

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter 14, Running from your Ghosts**_

 _Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I love you all! We are so, so close to 50k words and 300 reviews that my mouth is WATERING. JUICY._

 _do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

"We are here to retrieve fragments of the Excalibur swords. Our goal in coming here was to tell the Devils to stay out of our way, and to make sure they will not come to the aid of the thieves." The blue haired exorcist ground out, her yellow eyes as frosted as her tone.

"You realize this is Devil territory, correct?" Minato questioned, looking at the two exorcists from the corner of his eye as he spoke, "You are going to come into someones home, and tell them to stay out of your way?"

"Well... when you put it like that..."

"Silence, Irina, we do not need explain ourselves. The only one we need speak with is Rias Gremory." Xenovia was quick to cut off her associate, her yellow eyes gaining a hard glint, "Death has no business in meddling with our affairs."

"It _is_ my business. I live here you see, and I do not want harm to come to my peers or the innocent people who call this city home." Minato explained, causing Xenovia to grit her teeth while Irene chuckled nervously while tugging on the sleeve of her companion.

"Xenovia, what are you doing? Stop...!"

The blue haired exorcist let out a deep breath and tried to regain her calm before she continued. "We believe the Fallen have assisted in the theft of three different fragments of the Excalibur, and our objectives are to either retrieve them at all costs... or destroy them."

"I see..." Minato murmured, leading the two further and further away from the school and closer to the center of town, "Do you have any evidence that link the Fallen to the crime?"

"Like, the Churches totally felt their tainted light, and they have pictures to prove it." Irina answered, seeing as Xenovia had gone silent after her last admission. The blue haired exorcist seemed to be lost in thought almost, but not quite enough that she wasn't paying attention.

"And do you have these photographs with you?" He questioned, hoping to gain more insight into the situation before he contacted Azazel to figure out what was happening with his faction, "I happen to know a few people who would be willing to help, as long as I am the one asking."

"You would help us?" Xenovia questioned, surprised at his offer, "A heathen god would help the Church?"

"Or I can take it back? Your choice."

"No, no, we would love the help!" Irina quickly intervened, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, "Thank you very much, and God bless you!"

Had he been a Devil, such a thing may have given him a headache. Instead, he received what felt like a blow to the back of the head with a cudgel, nearly making him stumble before he quickly righted himself. The name of the deity of the Bible was distorted when they spoke it, as if he was hearing it through a ruined tape deck.

'What was that?'

Minato quickly glanced around, as if his surrounding area would give him the answer he sought, but no one besides Xenovia and Irene was in his area of perception.

Neither seemed to catch his misstep, something he was grateful for.

"Follow me, we can speak at my home."

 **[EX]**

Xenovia could hardly contain her anger. She and Irena had been ordered to avoid this being at all cost, and now they were following him into his home. The presence he gave off almost made her heart skip a beat, and it was gone as quick as it came. Xenovia knew this was not someone to anger, yet she could not help herself.

Being in the presence of a being with enough arrogance to call itself a God, it made her sick. Only the Heavenly Father had that right, in her opinion.

She would be speaking with Irena once they departed from current company. She was going to tell her as much and opened her mouth to speak when both of their stomachs seemed to roar with hunger at the same time, causing them both to look down and clutch at their abdomens.

"This is your fault, Irina..." Xenovia growled out, her eyes glaring balefully at the painting that she still carried around, "You just had to spend all of our money on that... that... false image!"

"How can you say that?! The guy was totally legit, I swear!"

Xenovia and Irina stopped their arguing when he cleared his throat and faced him once more, an embarrassed flush on Irenas' face while Xenovia continued to look angry.

"Would either of you care for lunch?" Minato questioned, a humorous smile ghosting across his face before it was schooled back into a cool visage. If Xenovia was any less sharp, she would have missed the amused look he gave the two.

Xenovia felt her distrust slightly disappear at the question, and the angry frown on her face lessened until it was only a confused frown.

"Why are you being so helpful?" The blue haired exorcist questioned, her hand wrapping around the bandaged handle hidden beneath her cloak, "Your kindness is obviously false."

She had been told of the being before her, of his cruelty during the Great War and the many different beings he slayed in cold blood. Xenovia could hardly connect the teenager before her to that ruthless being, but his energy was exactly how it was described to her. Hollow and unbelievably dark. It was not the same as the unholy darkness wielded by the Devils, not even similar, but it was still darkness none the less. If this was Thanatos, Death himself, then what could have possibly caused him to... mellow out?

Another thought crossed her mind and Xenovia tried to banish it, but it seemed to linger petulantly. 'What if he really is this kind? What if he isn't faking it?'

The being seemed taken aback, and shrugged his shoulders. "Your choice."

Irina jabbed her elbow into Xenovias' side and tried to speak for her partner again, but the glare the chestnut haired exorcist received silenced her before she could.

"We do not need such things from you. Are you willing to help us, or not?"

"So long as you promise to not attack the Devils in this city. Rather, those associated with the Sitri and the Gremory."

Xenovia continued to feel the number of questions she had grow, and she was no closer to answering any of them. "What does it matter to you? You are not a Devil, nor even associated with their Faction?"

Their temporary benefactor leaned back in his chair, and his hand beckoned to the picture frame resting on his desk. Xenovia began to reach for the picture before bringing it around to face her.

Standing there were many different figures with smiles on their faces. The exorcist could discern the figure of Lucifer and his baby sister, as well as the group that swore loyalty to her. Near the end of the line of people were three figures dressed in black and velvet blue. The blond that was standing to the far right she recognized almost immediately. 'Asia Argento...? I thought the Church said she was dead...?'

Xenovia did not recognize the purple haired female that stood to the left of Death, but was able to tell she served him due to her earrings. They all looked so happy, even the pagan god had a bantam smile on his face in the picture.

'This... this is the same being they warned me about? None of this is making any sense!'

"You... like, hang out with teenaged Devils?" Irina questioned after Xenovia fell silent, having leaned over her partners shoulder to look at the picture as well, "Why? Didn't you kill their Leader during the Great War forever ago?"

Minato just shrugged his shoulders, which was a complete non-answer as far as the exorcists were concerned.

"They... are kind people. Good people. I will not fault them for being Devils, I cannot."

Irena snorted at his admission, disbelief coloring her face, "Kind Devils? Do we look like idiots to you?"

He did not look like he wanted to answer that question.

Xenovia continued to look at the picture as if it were the Bible itself, and felt the first seeds of doubt being planted in her mind. 'This cannot be Death.'

"Who are you really?" Xenovia eventually questioned, ignoring the awkward silence between her partner and the being seated across from them, "Death is a vicious being with no remorse, no care for his prey, yet here you are... playing as a high school student? Offering to help complete strangers?"

The blue haired teenager placed both elbows on his desk and clasped both hands together before resting them before his mouth. Xenovia could see the turmoil in his eyes as he thought of the best way to answer her question. It was almost as if he did not know who he was, himself.

"I am who I am."

 **[EX]**

"They are here for what?" Sona finally asked, having been staring at Minato since he sat himself back down in her office. In his hands was a steaming bowl of ramen, which he was eating slowly with a nostalgic look on his face. The black haired Devil was still thinking about the match the two shared earlier that day, and the consequences of her loss.

When he returned to the Student Council Office just a few hours later during the lunch period, Sona was surprised. She had figured he would not be returning for quite some time, especially due to the fact that her group was not closely associated with him. It seems she was mistaken.

"Stolen Excalibur swords, they want them back. They wish to meet with Rias tomorrow. They agreed to not attack and Devil associated with your group or hers." Minato answered, slowly pulling noodles from the broth before bringing them to his mouth.

"Why do they wish to meet with Rias?" Sona questioned with a raised brow before grabbing her own bento to eat, "What does she have to do with any of this?"

"They wanted to make sure that no Devil gets in their way. It is claimed that the Fallen are responsible, but I have my doubts." Minato admitted, looking down into the broth with a frown on his face, "There are only a handful of stray Fallen left, after all."

"And how do you know this?"

"You don't know already?"

"I do. I would rather hear it from you, though." Sona admitted as she placed a piece of sushi in her mouth, relishing the rush of flavors. It was a welcome distraction from her thoughts of the Church, and her loss.

"I may or may not have taken in a large majority due to outstanding bounties." He elaborated, "Azazel was most grateful."

"You know the Governor General of the Grigori on a first name basis?" She was most shocked at the admission, if only due to the fact that the god before her associated with both Fallen and Devils alike. Most beings not from the three biblical factions tended to despise them all, no matter what race or creed they followed.

The Youkai, for example, still have large bounties out on the heads of many different High Lords and Ladies of the 72 Pillars, while the Hindu targeted Angels almost exclusively at the behest of Indra, their leader. The Egyptian pantheon still waged a war between themselves and the Ogdoad, the eight Primordials that bore them. Both groups would stop their assaults on one another and attack any biblical being that crossed their paths, no matter if they were Devils, Fallen or Angels.

"I wish I didn't." Minato murmured under his breath while pulling his phone from his pocket and flipping through his messages. "It seems he cannot identify the Fallen Angel that helped steal the holy swords. Too bad of an angle."

"That is... most troubling." The black haired Devil murmured under her breath while she motioned to see his phone. "Do you mind if I take a look?"

"Sure, here."

He passed her the device and disposed of the now empty ramen bowl and his chopsticks before sitting back down. She felt him watching her curiously as she zoomed in on the photograph of the Fallen, and had to fight back the urge to look up at him. She could not recognize the figure either, and it bothered her. They seemed to blend in to the darkness just as good as Minato did.

Sona closed out of the picture before quickly moving to his settings. She memorized his number and made sure to type her own into his phone before handing it back. "You may contact me should you need me. I hope I can do the same?"

Minato seemed conflicted before he nodded his head at her question, causing Sona to release a breath she didn't know she was holding.

He excused himself moments later, stating that he had to pick up Asia and Bennia from class. Sona watched him go and felt her heart speed up as she was brought back to her thoughts from earlier.

'Why couldn't I ask for a rematch? He was right there...!'

 **[EX]**

The next day came too quickly for Minato, and he found himself following behind the exorcists as they made their way to the club room owned by Rias and her Peerage.

Bennia and Asia were adamant on being there for the meeting, so Minato had no choice but to allow them to come. The old school building that had been converted into a home for Rias was not one of Minatos' favorite places, but he supposed he would rather a fight break out here than his own home.

"Should a fight start, I want you to protect Asia for me." Minato addressed Bennia through a whisper in her ear as he opened the door for the two, allowing them to enter before he followed behind. Her incline of the head was all that let him know that she heard him.

As the three lined the far wall, Xenovia and Irina stepped towards Rias' desk to address her. The tension in the room was almost palpable, to the point Minato felt it prudent to clear his throat. "Remember our agreement?"

Xenovia nodded her head and grit her teeth, knowing that she could not strike out at any of the Devils, or Death would be on her heels. "You are correct, now is not the time for this. I thank you for agreeing to speak with us today. My name is Xenovia." The blue haired exorcist began before tilting her head to her partner.

"And my name is Irina Shidou." Irina followed up, nodding her head to the redhead sitting across from them.

"I must admit, I find it fascinating that followers of God would call for a meeting with a Devil." Rias admitted, crossing her left leg over her right while her arms were held beneath her breasts.

"It does seem a little bit random." Irina admitted, nodding her head as if agreeing with Rias, "Here's the thing... There are six holy swords that we can account for. Three of them are still with the Church, but we happen to know that the other three were stolen from us by Fallen Angels."

"Are you sure about that?" Issei questioned, his arms crossed over his chest as he listened to the two speak. Something about the two was setting him on edge, and it could have been the hostile intent he felt leaking from them whenever they looked to their right.

"Positive. Death has confirmed it with the Grigori, whom claim to be unable to identify the suspect." Xenovia admitted while laying her right hand on the blade laying in her lap. She seemed to be regaining her calm, though her shoulders were tensed as if she expected a sneak attack.

"So what exactly do you want us to do about this?" Rias questioned, humor staining her tone as she leaned forward slightly, curious as to how they would answer. The twinkle in her green eyes could only spell trouble, as Minato had grown to associate that same twinkle with Bennia and her pranks.

'I hope she has more tact than to really instigate a fight.' Minato thought to himself as his right hand clenched and released, causing the sound of straining leather to sound out. The black leather gloves covering his hands were new additions to his attire, having been given to him by Koneko after the girl complained that his hands were always freezing.

"Lets keep it simple. We want you to stay completely out of it. This is between us," Xenovia paused for dramatic effect, her yellow eyes glinting dangerously, "We don't need the Devils in this town, or filthy pagan gods, to intervene."

Minato noticed Bennia and Asia frown severely at the insult directed at him. He raised his left hand slightly and held it open towards them, and they nodded in confirmation that they understood. They were to remain were they were, and only act if they were attacked.

"You know what's funny? That almost, ALMOST sounds like an accusation. Are you really so afraid that we would side with the Fallen and keep you from your swords?" Rias questioned, the mirth in her voice only growing further. Koneko had to reach her left arm out and keep Issei from speaking up, who looked like he was about to growl out profanities at any moment.

"Well, we know that holy swords are a detestable thing for your kind. Wouldn't it make more sense for you to team up with the Fallen for such an occasion?" Xenovia continued to stroke at the blade in her lap while Irina played with the ribbon tied around her left arm.

Minato could feel the holy energy gushing from the two objects and knew that the two exorcists were getting antsy.

Rias' green eyes bled red as she leaned back, and it was the first time Minato had seen such a transition. The feeling of Desolation wafting from her body had almost become palpable and he knew that things were going to go south soon. He tapped the wall next to him with his forefinger in a rhythm only Asia and Bennia understood.

'Hostile. Leave to me.'

"After all, you ARE the Devils little sister, are you not?" Xenovia continued with her questions, and the room felt that it was ready to explode. "If such things come to pass, we would have no choice but to absolutely annihilate you, no matter your relation."

"I assure you, I have absolutely no intentions of joining the Fallen Angels. I wouldn't besmirch the good name of the Gremory family, or my dear brother, even if I could keep those objects from the Church." By this point, the humor in Rias' tone had been replaced by overwhelming confidence. Minato almost wanted to slam his head into a wall due to frustration, though he kept such thoughts and actions to himself. Instead, he stepped away from the wall and placed himself further ahead than his two servants.

"It's enough for me to hear that. Honestly, I am only relaying the thoughts of Headquarters. Of course, I didn't really think the little sister of Lucifer would really be that stupid."

"That is good to know," Rias retorted as she stretched right arm out from beneath her breasts, motioning to the two exorcists, "However, do not expect aid from me or mine, either."

"Of course," Xenovia nodded in ascent and wrapped her hands around her sword almost reverently as she motioned to stand, "I expect to succeed in our task should you remain on the sidelines and out of our ways. We won't be taking up any more of your time."

On cue, Xenovia and Irina rose at the same time and their cloaks easily fell back to their ankles, covering from neck to toe in the white and teal holy garb.

"Wouldn't you like some tea before you go?" Rias asked as she motioned to Akeno, who nodded her head and moved to grab the cups and tea pot.

"No thanks. I am not here to make friends with lowly Devils." Xenovia retorted, her lip curling as if disgusted by such a notion, "We'll let ourselves out."

The two exorcists were making their way to the door when Xenovia stopped and looked over her shoulders, directly at Asia who now stood behind Minato. The silver eyed teenager had his arms crossed over his chest with a mostly blank expression on his face, though the two exorcists could easily see the tension in his shoulders upon following their line of sight. He took a small step to the right to further cover Asia from their hate filled looks.

"Are you not Asia Argento? I was wondering if I would run into you after seeing you in that picture." Xenovia took a step towards Asia, who was shocked that the two exorcists even know of her. The former saint brought her hands together and bowed at the waist towards the two politely.

"Yes, I am."

"I suppose it would make sense for you to be in the presence of a heathen god dealing in death. A Witch would flock to such figures." Xenovia spoke with clear hostility, and the blond felt her heart leap into her throat at being so blatantly insulted.

"Like, oh my god it totally IS you! Weren't you excommunicated for healing a Devil? Wow, I didn't expect to see you associating with Devils so openly, but this IS you we are talking about." Irina was quick to add her own thoughts on the subject, almost feeling relish in the fact that she was bringing pain to Asia, even if emotional.

"I... I..."

Bennia quickly put her hand on Asias' shoulder and rubbed it gently. She squeezed it gently and stepped closer to her fellow servant while glaring hatefully at the two who continued with their insults.

The shadows in the room grew steadily darker.

"Of course, if she went from being a saint to associating with Devils, she can't be alright. That is the furthest one could fall. Tell me, Asia... do you still believe in God?"

Asia finally had enough.

"No! No I do not! Why would I care for a god that can't answer prayers?"

The vehemence in her tone, the loathing that dripped from her words was enough to make Xenovia and Irina spare a glance between one another. There was a lot of resentment in those words, and they both wondered what could drive a previous Saint to such hatred. Asia still absolutely reeked of light magic, to the point that it seemed to surround her like a blanket, so she certainly hadn't become a Devil herself.

"Oh? So you would throw away everything the Church has done for you? You would spit in the face of the Holy Lord and his teachings?" Xenovia questioned while her grip on her sword tightened, "I should strike you down where you stand. It would be a kindness to someone as low as you, Witch."

The room continued to grow darker.

Issei stepped forward, despite Konekos' protest. "Hey, you bitch! Don't talk to my friend like that or I'll turn that pretty face of yours into mince meat!"

"You're not helping." Koneko ground out before stepping in front of him again, this time restraining the Devil with both of his arms. The petite Devil wanted to knock the girls block off herself, but had the discipline to hold back that anger. Koneko knew that anything she could do would be nothing to what Minato would do, should the exorcist make the wrong decision.

The sound of chains began to fill the room, and the two exorcists tensed noticeably.

"Are you done?"

The eyes of those gathered for the meeting slowly turned to Minato, whose face was covered by his hair.

"Are you done shaming her?"

Xenovia and Irina seemed to understand just who they had angered, and each prepared themselves for conflict. Irina began to curse her partners and her big mouth as the sounds of chains rattling grew even more. While not a being she wanted to face, she would be more than willing to smite him in the name of her Lord.

"And who are you in relation to Asia?"

"I am her Family." Minato spoke in such a hushed whisper that it was barely heard above the sound of the chains. "Should you raise your hand to her, even a finger..." Minato trailed off for a moment, "You won't live to regret it."

"And you would take on the entire church by yourself? One filthy heathen god against thousands of trained warriors? You would stand against Heaven?"

"You couldn't comprehend what I would do for my Family."

The bandages covering Xenovias' sword fell away while Irina grabbed the ribbon on her arm, which converted itself into a katana in a flash of light.

Light filled the room and the sound of almost elated laughter followed after it.

"This is perfect! I've been waiting to see Minato-Senpai in action for a while now. You mind if I take one of them?" Kiba questioned from the doorway, leaning against the wall as if he had been there the entire time. The grin on his face and the darkened eyes of his let Minato know that perhaps letting Kiba vent would be good for him. A look to Rias was all it took for him to gain permission for a quick 'spar'.

"Of course. Let me take the loud mouth, you take the sycophant."

This was the Death Xenovia was looking for, that she goaded for. This was the being she wished to test herself against. She knew her words were foolish, she knew she would likely die if she made the wrong move, but she needed to see just what kind of strength Death wielded.

She saw his kindness, now she wanted to see his rage.

Irina just wanted to be anywhere but there.


	15. Miserere Nobis

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **15,**_ _ **Miserere Nobis**_

 _ **Ain't nothing cute about getting an ass whooping.**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Kiba smiled viciously as he stared down the chestnut haired exorcist before him, his hands held at his hips. "Are you ready?"

Irina took his words as an insult and charged him rapidly, swinging Excalibur Mimic at his chest level. Kiba stepped backwards before raising his right hand in the air. A seal appeared on the back of his hand before a demon blade rested in his palm, right before he sent the blade on a crash course with Irinas' face.

Irina smacked the weapon from the air by widening her blade, then lunging forward again to attempt to impale Kiba through the stomach. The two fought back and forth while Kiba steadily gained more and more ground. Sweat began to drip into his eyes as Kiba parried another lunge, and a grunt of exertion was heard as the two entered a blade lock.

"You aren't bad at all, pretty boy!" Irina taunted, "But I would have rather faced Issei than you!"

"Too bad for you." Kiba ground out before headbutting Irina, causing her to fall back from the blade lock. Another swipe of his sword saw Kiba gaining the first blood against his opponent, "Issei doesn't want to play with you right now, but I do!"

The small scratch that appeared above her left breast stung, but Irina was quick to retaliate with a similar attack, giving Kiba a stinging wound upon his right pectoral.

"Why are you even getting involved, Devil? Do you consider Asia family as well?" Irina spat as her katana shortened itself into a tanto. She slipped under a swipe from Kiba that would have removed her head from her shoulders before slicing his right arm, though not deep enough to cause any permanent damage.

"Because I swore revenge upon the very blades you wield, and I will be damned before I let this opportunity slip me by!" Kiba whispered in a hushed tone, just loud enough for Irina to understand the cold hatred he was feeling, "I hope you are prepared to lose your toy!"

Both had to jump apart from one another when Xenovia blasted through the space the two were previously occupying, a trail of blood following along her flight path.

Minato walked calmly after his opponent, wielding a straight, serrated odachi that was as long as he was tall in his left hand. The blade was such a dark black color that it seemed to absorb the light that hit it. Both combatants stopped their fighting to allow Minato passage through, one in fear and another in respect.

'What the hell?! That sword...!'

'Damn, Senpai!'

 **[EX]**

Minato was not happy. Not in the least.

He extended a hand of kindness to the representatives of the Church, and they spit in his face. Xenovia, the blue haired exorcist, had crossed a line when she so blatantly threatened to strike down Asia.

He was going to teach her a lesson in humility.

"Are you ready to feel the wrath of God, heathen?" Xenovia rumbled, the strange blade in her hand glowing a shade of gold that Minato had likened to Asia.

The shadow beneath him churned and spun on itself until something began to bubble and push its way out of the inky blackness, and with it came a feeling of dread. The straight blade that rose from the shadows was a familiar sight to Minato, though it was not a weapon he had wielded himself. Many skeletal arms reached from the portal and held the blade straight up, as if they were offering the blade to its rightful owner.

When the exorcist began threatening Asia, he felt his link with Thanatos, something that had become a constant presence, widen to the point that Minato feared it would no longer be possible to separate himself from the cold, crawling darkness that had been seeping into his energy pool. He understood what the hissing whisper from his oldest link meant.

'As you wish, my friend.'

He wasn't going to summon another being for this fight. No, this was personal.

Minato grasped the blade with his left hand and removed it from the hold of the boned hands that offered it before pointing it directly at Xenovia.

"Ready when you are."

Xenovia jumped high in the air and wrapped both hands around the handle of her sword before trying to bring it down on his head. Minato held the black stained blade above him and easily deflected the heavy blow that would have split him in two before lifting his right foot and slamming it directly into her solar plexus. Xenovia was launched backwards from the power put into the blow and impacted a tree ten feet away from her preceding position, the bark of the tree splintering around her.

Minato held his right hand towards her and chains shot from the darkness of his sleeve and wrapped around her waist, binding her tightly. He followed up by ripping his arm backwards, flinging her back into his direction before slicing her back as he side stepped her rag doll body. A gout of blood erupted from the wound and fell to the earth as she flew through the air for a second time, staining the brown dirt crimson.

Xenovia stopped her flight path by digging her blade, Excalibur Destruction, into the earth, allowing her to come to a halt and correct her standing.

'He could have ended it right there.'

"Are you... toying with me?" Xenovia ground out, her grip on the holy sword slightly shaky from the pain in her back.

Minato nodded his head at the question, not bothering to hide his intentions in the least. "You swore to strike down the wrong person."

"All I did was state fact!" With her last retort, Xenovia launched herself at Minato again, swinging Excalibur Destruction in a wide arc to bisect him at the waist. The long blade of Thanatos intercepted the holy sword and sparks filled the air from the pressure being exerted by the two deadly weapons.

"You need to learn manners."

Minato pushed his right hand into her face with his forefinger and thumb extended, mimicking the shape of a gun. An extremely small purple magic circle appeared at the tip of his finger before exploding with a large amount of concussive force, sending Xenovia flying for the second time, this time between Irina and Kiba.

As he was about to depart after Xenovia, he heard the voice of Asia pleading for him to have mercy on her soul. He had no intentions of killing the girl and sparking a war between Heaven and himself, but he would acknowledge the request none the less.

Minato strolled after his rapidly disappearing opponent into the treeline with a deceivingly sedated pace, nodding to Asia as he went.

 **[EX]**

Akeno watched with a small, lecherous smile on her face upon seeing Minato summon his chains to bind and throw Xenovia, causing Issei and Koneko to take a step away from the girl upon hearing her giggles.

Her amethyst eyes twinkled in delight, and she felt her heart speed up the slightest bit. Seeing the exorcists being so thoroughly dominated by both her fellow Peerage member and someone she dubbed her Senpai made the blood rush to her face, staining her pale skin scarlet.

She turned to Issei and winked at him before leaning over to whisper in his ear.

"I think I will be picking up a few tips from Minato-Senpai on chain tricks. I hope you like them as much as I do!"

Koneko looked at the two with barely concealed disgust and shook her head. "You two are the worst."

"In all seriousness, I am a bit worried for the exorcists..." Issei admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, "If they get too badly hurt and fail their mission, won't they just blame Senpai?"

"They will be fine." Koneko blandly stated, shrugging her shoulders as if to dismiss the notion. The young Devil did not care in the slightest if they failed or succeeded in their mission. They had insulted a servant of Minato, and to the young Devil, they deserved the pain they received.

Rias had yet to speak up to voice her thoughts, instead focusing on Kiba and the exchange he was having with Irina during their bout. 'Kiba... you are still holding on to that anger, even after all this time?'

The crimson haired Devil was worried for the mental state of her Knight and seeing this type of anger in his movements and attacks was surreal to her. He and Koneko had been the calmest members of her Peerage by far, and this fight showed how far removed he was from his normal disposition.

 **[EX]**

Xenovia was in a world of pain. She knew that Death would be powerful, but she was expecting a ruthless monster that attacked with unrestrained ferocity. Instead, she was facing an opponent that calculated just how shallow a cut needed to be to bring the most pain without inflicting lasting injury.

This was a cold, measured choler instead of the burning wrath she expected.

She felt her face get burned by the point blank magic attack, but it was only superficial at best. If he had put more force into the attack, it could have torn her head from her shoulders and she knew it.

Xenovia began her descent back to the earth and allowed Excalibur Destruction to once more slow her fall, slamming the blade into the dirt and carving a trench as her velocity dropped. Once her legs made it back to the ground, she changed direction and charged in the direction of Minato, swinging her blade wildly as she did so. Five different times her blade was parried, and she couldn't get close enough to even ruffle his clothing.

She grew frustrated and attempted to bring her sword down near his feet to rupture the earth, but that plan too was thwarted. The second deadlock ended almost as badly as the first.

Minato forced her large sword to the left while bringing his right leg into a vertical kick right into her chin using his heel, causing her to flip backwards twice before planting face down into the earth with her rear in the air.

"I... I yield." She ground out as she lifted herself from her undignified position of being face down in the earth. The Excalibur Destruction no longer glowed golden from the lack of holy energy flowing through it, and she felt that she would pass out from the pain soon. Blood dribbled from her mouth due to a bitten inner cheek and she was almost sure she had two loose teeth.

Her hazy yellow eyes peered up from their downward position and watched as her opponent stopped a foot from her prone form, and she saw what she wanted to see.

The shadowed figure and his circular silver eyes staring down at her sent a chill down her spine, and she could tell it wasn't fear nor pain that caused it. A churning, black portal opened up near her head and he stabbed his weapon downwards into it, causing it to sink slowly into the abyss.

When he leaned down and came face to face with her, she felt her skin tingle as his voice rolled across her. "Apologize."

Xenovia nodded her head as quickly as she could, not wanting to incur any more attacks from the god she foolishly challenged. "I will, I promise!"

"Good."

 **[EX]**

Kiba rolled under the katana blade coming towards him and took a swipe at Irinas' ankles, causing the chestnut haired exorcist to leap over the blow before attempting to slice downwards again.

Kiba parried the blow before stabbing his sword into the ground, causing dozens of blades to erupt from the earth and steadily try and stab her feet.

Irina wasn't having any of it and began to cartwheel in between the demonic blades, easily avoiding them. She was about to continue with the standstill battle until Xenovia called for her to cease the fight.

"Aww, already?" Irina whined, having been enjoying herself immensely. It wasn't very often she came across an opponent as skilled, or as cute, as the one she faced off against and it would probably be a long time before she found another.

Kiba looked as if he were about to continue regardless, but Rias stopped him by calling him to her side. He begrudgingly listened to his Kings orders and dispelled his blade before spitting at the ground before Irinas' feet.

Irina ignored the obvious slight and walked her way to the treeline, waiting for Xenovia to finish her business so the two could depart and continue their mission.

Xenovia limped towards the woman she had so thoroughly insulted, ignoring the blood that leaked from her mouth and down her back. Her face was set into a solemn expression, as if she had found out that she was living on borrowed time, and when she came to a halt before Asia and Bennia, the purple haired Grim Reaper stepped protectively in front of the former Saint and bared her teeth.

"I... do not desire to affront you any further. I wish to apologize. I used you as a target to rile up Death, and it worked better than I was expecting." Xenovia bowed at the waist towards Asia and kept the position until she felt a hand resting upon her wounded back.

The green glow of Twilight Healing covered Asias' hand and the wound upon Xenovia knitted itself back together at a slow pace, expunging the darkness that tainted the wound.

"You are forgiven... this time."

 **[EX]**

Asia watched in joy as her deity tore into the exorcist and felt as if she were standing on the clouds. She knew that her Master had a protective side to him, but she had no idea just how far he would go to defend her name against those who would try and tear her down, either emotionally or physically.

To see him draw his sword, that wonderfully black blade, in her honor... it was rapturous. It brought her euphoria, both in body and mind. Bennia seemed to be as equally as impressed with the display, but this was the first time Asia had seen him in action personally, and it was a work of art to behold in her eyes.

No movement was wasted, and every action he took was calmly calculated. Asia was no warrior, but she could see him tense and coil his muscles when he swung the massive, serrated blade in his hand as if it were a feather. He made it look easy, and it awoke the desire within her to wield a weapon as well.

She watched him wrap Xenovia up in chains and draw her back in, and the blow he scored across her back was as shallow as it was beautifully maneuvered, as the length of the blade could have easily severed her spine in that instance.

Asia drew her hands together, and she lost herself praying to the God she now served. The feeling of completion that came from such prayers almost brought a tear to her eyes. Her Master looked directly at her when she finished her prayer, and nodded his head in her direction.

'Have mercy on her soul.'

Her prayers were heard, and it was wonderful.

Xenovia was defeated soundly, and when she rose from the earth, she limped in Asias' direction. The former Saint tensed her body and swore she would slap the sin out of the exorcist if she continued her tirade.

When she bowed her head, and proclaimed her reasoning for insulting her, Asia felt that tension melt away. She placed her right hand on Xenovias' back, directly upon the wounded flesh and called forth her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing. Using a technique that was common practice in ancient Greece, Asia purged the darkness that lingered in the wound and jump started the natural healing process of the prostrated body before her.

Asia would forgive her this once. She would not do so again.

 **[EX]**

"I saw one of the holy swords they were looking for..." Kiba admitted after the Gremory Group and Minatos' own small coterie made their way back into the club room. He stood by the same spot as before, leaning against the wall directly next to the door, his head downcast and shadows covering his eyes. "Freed Sellzen had it. I... tried to kill him, but he escaped before I could finish the job."

Minato did not know who Freed Sellzen was, but he could tell the rest of the group present had encountered him some time in the past if the stiffening of their shoulders was anything to go by.

"Who is he?" Minato questioned after blowing gently on the cup of tea offered to him by Akeno. The buxom Onee-Sama seated herself on the couch opposite of him while Bennia, Asia and Koneko had filled in the spaces beside Minato, unsurprisingly to any present in the room.

"Stupid freak." Koneko mumbled under her breath, crossing her arms over her chest with a sour look on her face, "Stray exorcist."

"Do you have a picture?" Minato questioned the Devils, who seemed to think on the question. It was Issei who finally found what he was looking for and handed his phone over to Minato, who only needed a glance to identify the very same vulgar exorcist he had removed the arm of.

"I have... met him before." He admitted after handing Issei back his phone and thanking him, "How he survived I have no idea."

"Oh? What happened to make you think he wouldn't have survived?" Rias questioned curiously, resting her head in her right hand as she leaned forward on her desk.

"I Removed his right arm, and it wasn't clean. Bisected his left." Minato admitted, "I stole his light saber."

"His... what?" Issei questioned with a giggle, thinking that he had been joking. How Minato even knew the phrase confused him, but he thought it was fitting.

"His beam sword. He pushed energy into a handle, and a light blade came out." Minato frowned at Issei, "You have seen it, yes? Light Saber."

"Oh, OH! You really... I don't know why I'm even surprised."

"Only you, Issei." Rias sighed, a frown on her face, "Kiba... Where are you going?"

Kiba stopped walking through the door for a moment before turning his head back to her, "I am going to do what I promised, and destroy the Excalibur."

"You know I cannot allow you to leave, you are a Knight in the house of Gremory!" Rias stood quickly from her desk and made her thoughts clear on the subject, not wanting to see one of her oldest friends walk away.

"I'm sorry, President..."

With that, Kiba departed from the club room and no one motioned to follow after him. They knew that he had made his choice, and it hurt the Devils to restrain themselves.

Minato had no such compulsion. "Asia, Bennia... come, let us get you home for the night."

He rose from his seated position, and Koneko pouted that her resting position had been disturbed. She had rested her head against his shoulder after he returned Issei his phone, saying that she had been feeling sleepy.

"Sorry, Koneko." He sighed before patting her on the head before turning on his heel and marching towards the door, Asia and Bennia right behind him. Before she departed, Bennia turned her head to regard the Devils in the room, silently conveying a message she knew needed not be said aloud.

'We won't let him go it alone.'

It was the least they could do. They were friends, after all.


	16. Cry Havoc

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **16,**_ _ **Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dog of War**_

To Cipher66, SOON.

I like cheese: He will 'diversify' here soon as far as summoning goes, and magic usage as well. I have pretty fun plans for the future.

To Chu, he is not going to start saying good things about the God of the Bible, not after we get further into the story. Messiah has a special place, and I am very surprised no one has figured out where he is yet.

To all of those wondering why his is solely using Thanatos so far, or the link between him and said being... I have already told you, you just need to look closer. He is not going to be summoning certain Persona. He will gain other beings under his command to counterbalance the loss. There is rhyme and reason to what he is doing and how he is doing it, I promise.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Minato walked the streets with his hands in his pocket, stalking the energy signature of both Kiba and the exorcists as he went. He had changed out of his school uniform and into a simple black suit after making sure Asia and Bennia knew they were to stay put until he gave the all clear. The change of clothes was to blend in with the crowd of businessmen that walked the streets at this time of day, either going in for an overnight shift or going home for the six hours of rest they took. It would do no good if the exorcists or Kiba knew he was following behind, after all.

He had a bad feeling growing in the pit of his stomach, and it had to due with the fact that Azazel had sent him a very discerning text message moments after he left his home.

Someone had broken Kokabiel from the icy realm of Cocytus. The timing was not a coincidence, and Minato knew it. He could not feel the presence of any beings wielding the tainted light of the Fallen anywhere in the vicinity of Kuoh or the surrounding areas. Eventually Xenovia and Irina returned to the ruined church on the outskirts of the city while Kiba rented a room at a love hotel of all places.

Minato was pretty sure it was to keep his fellow Devils from finding him, as who would look for pretty boy Kiba in a love hotel of all places?

The walk home was quiet and gave him time to think.

'Kokabiel has been unsealed, and Asia mentioned that if Freed Sellzen was here, then his partner Valper Galilei is as well. That makes four different beings laying in wait, and they led the exorcists here.'

Minato did not like how things were shaping up, and the knots in his stomach tightened. 'Fallen and excommunicated priests stole holy swords from the Churches, and took them into Devil territory. Devil territory that is held by both Lucifers' and Leviathans' little sisters...' And then Minato understood. However, the identity of the culprit behind the thefts of the blades was still unknown. It was more than likely that the one who stole the swords is the person who set Kokabiel free.

They had to be powerful to get past the Grigori long enough to free someone from one of the most secure locations in the underworld. Very powerful.

And here he was, living in the very city it was all about to go down in. He made a call to Azazel, and then to Sirzechs and combined the two lines into a conference call.

"Big D, whats up?" Azazel questioned as he picked up the line, the sound of churning water sounding in the background.

The sound of laughter and a phone hitting the floor rang out, causing Minato to consider choking the Governor General the next time he saw him. "This is serious. Someone is trying to spark another Great War."

Sirzechs had apparently heard him despite his phone being on the floor, because he picked back up almost instantly. "You want to say that again for me?"

"Fallen Angels and stray exorcists have stolen three Excalibur Shards. They brought them here to Kuoh, and exorcists have shown up to retrieve or destroy the swords." Minato explained, taking a detour from his current location to the park where Issei almost lost his life, "Kokabiel is most likely working with whomever stole the swords, and there is only one reason they would come here of all places."

"They are targeting my little sister and her friend Sona." Sirzechs ground out, his voice containing a snarl to it that Minato found appropriate for the situation, "They want to get me involved."

"I have nothing to do with this, and both of you know it." Azazel felt the need to reaffirm his innocence, "I could not identify the Fallen who broke Kokabiel out, but he is not associated with us."

"I know, Azazel, calm down." Sirzechs reaffirmed with a strained tone, having reeled in his anger for a moment, "It's your Heavenly Brother we have to worry about."

"Michael? Yeah, I am pretty worried about the breast hater, honestly. It's just... who wants another war when we are all so close to extinction?" Azazel wondered aloud, and grew silent afterwards. All three seemed to be lost upon the answer, and Minato sat in the park with his Kirijo brand phone to his ear for quite some time.

"I will call when I know more. Goodbye, you two." Minato hung up his phone and placed it back in his pocket before leaning back further into the bench, his hands crossed behind his head as he stared up at the full moon that hung in the night sky.

 **[EX]**

"You want me to what?" Minato questioned, sipping at a cup of coffee from a local cafe. Asia was nursing a frozen treat with relish, trying her best to keep from getting any on her face or her black dress. Bennia had no such manners and dug into her pastries like a starved man, getting jam all over her face and clothing, and even some in her hair.

"We need your help tracking down the exorcists! We want to help Kiba destroy the Excalibur pieces and we need their help to do it!" Issei stated again with his left fist raised in front of him.

"Is... Rias aware that you are getting involved in this?" Minato eventually questioned, "Because the situation is a bit more... delicate than you think."

"Delicate how?" It was Koneko who eventually asked after sitting down and grabbing a menu to peruse while they spoke. She flagged down a waitress, who nodded to her and made her way to the table.

Only after Koneko placed her order did he speak, lest the woman overhear a conversation not meant for her ears. "Someone powerful is pulling the strings, and he wants the Devils and Angels to start fighting. I don't know who it is and neither do Sirzechs or Azazel."

Issei felt a lump form in his throat, "W... why would someone want that?"

Minato frowned and finished the last of his coffee before placing the empty mug on the table, his eyes cast downwards with furrowed brows. "I don't know, but I intend to find out."

"Then let us help, please!" Issei seemed almost desperate, his fist trembling as he spoke, "I don't want to lose my friend!"

"So be it. You came to me of your own volition, though." Minato eventually relented, knowing that no matter what he said, Issei would force himself into the situation. Koneko seemed equally as determined, though she did not voice such opinions. Her presence here, however, spoke enough of her intentions for him.

The group of five waited until everyone was finished with their snacks before they departed, following behind Minato as he led them directly to the exorcists. Their energy signatures were hardly inconspicuous, especially in a city that was as filled with dark based entities as it were.

"We need to talk." Minato stated, and Xenovia nodded her head in agreement, not wishing to earn the ire of Death once more. Irina had no choice but to follow along.

They bribed him for food in return for their cooperation with Kiba in his quest to destroy the Excalibur pieces, so long as the swords did not remain in the hands of the enemy.

'So far, so good...' Minato thought to himself, watching the exorcists do their best to eat a hole through his wallet in morbid fascination. 'Where do they put it?'

He was not the only one with that particular train of thoughts.

Bennia thought she had found kindred spirits in Xenovia, if only due to the lack of table manners both displayed. 'If only she wasn't a stuck up holy-roller.'

Irina yet again blessed Minato and the Devils in the name of her Lord, and Minato could not stop himself from flinching again. The distorted name of the deity once more sounded out, and Minato found that it was not a mere coincidence that such a thing that happened two days prior happened again. Koneko and Issei clutched at their heads while Asia and Bennia only displayed the slightest of twinges. Unlike the first time, the pain that Minato felt did not disappear after a few moments and seemed to linger for a few minutes.

'What is happening to me...?' Minato thought, rubbing his right temple in irritation and worry. Things weren't adding up, and he didn't like it one bit.

 **[EX]**

Koneko was worried. Kiba had been a friend to her for a long time, since he was a preteen and she was little. For him to hold that kind of bitterness in his heart, it hurt. It hurt her to know that even with all of the love he had received from Rias, Akeno and her, that it couldn't temper the flame of revenge that burned his mind.

They were getting in way over their heads and they knew it. Koneko knew that Minato would watch out for Kiba in their stead, and the feelings she had developed for him grew even more because of it.

She knew what he was, and that energy he had coiled inside of him spoke for itself. That frigid, gelid darkness that would creep through the pores and suffocate you in its embrace if you let it in. It was horrifying, but alluring. Whether it be her Devil or Nekoshou nature, she felt comfort in the darkness of Death.

When he first arrived in the city of Kuoh, it was as if he were a dead man only recently granted life. His energy was chaotic, barely contained but hardly complete. It was hollow, like it was trying to regain something it lost. Then the day Issei nearly died, Minatos' energy became so dark it could have blotted out the sun. It was as if the puzzle pieces had snapped into place, and the deep abyss within him filled to the brim.

He was, at first, a distant soul, someone she bribed for candy because she knew he wouldn't say no. Then they became friends. Koneko would go out of her way to find him on some days, and on others he would find her. They never spoke much, but they didn't need to.

She began to see him as more than a friend, and at first she was confused. She had never felt romantic feelings for anyone, male or female, in her short life. She had never had the need, nor the want, for a companion outside of her fellow Peerage members.

Koneko had a major crush on him, and she couldn't bring herself to say it. She would, however, admit to herself that she was jealous of Asia and Bennia. Ever since the two had come into his life, Minato had not spent as much time with her as he used to. He still bought her sweets, but it seemed like she only spent time with him once in a blue moon.

She felt like she was no longer needed, and she fell into a depression she found hard to conquer. She had abandonment issues, she knew, and she did not want to be left behind by the first person she had ever developed feelings for.

The Nekoshou still felt butterflies in her stomach when she thought of what he said to her in the park that day. He would be hurt if he lost her, and she would be hurt if she lost him. She fell asleep leaning on his shoulder and let the cool darkness of his presence surround her like a blanket that night. The faint whisperings, the wisps of black that would appear from his shadow every now and again, she found comfort in them.

She knew that he would protect her from the world when she couldn't protect herself, and she felt the same. She knew Minato was going to get involved in the situation with Kiba and the exorcists, so she had to get involved as well. Rias would be very disappointed in her, but she would face any punishment necessary to help Minato keep Kiba safe in his quest for revenge.

The dark clouds that loomed overhead gave her the chills, and Koneko couldn't shake the feeling that the unsteady peace that had been present in Kuoh was about to be disrupted. When hundreds of black birds began to descend upon the city and settle themselves in the trees, power lines and every other perch they could fit on, she knew something was very, very wrong.

 **[EX]**

There was a feeling looming over Kuoh, a sense of dread and finality that came on the wings of crows. Flocks of the black birds began to circle in the skies and land upon the buildings, filling the city to the brim with their dark feathers.

Pedestrians went indoors and the local wildlife began to act frantically, as if they felt an earthquake on the way. The sun seemed to dull and dark clouds began to form in a circle around the city, casting deep shadows on the concrete landscape below.

The group of seven found Kiba seated at the fountain near the park, a lost look on his face as he tossed a coin into the water. His face became solemn for a moment as his eyes closed, and Minato was almost sure he heard a voice asking to protect him in the back of his head. A voice that sounded exactly like Kiba.

'Did he... did he just pray to me for safety? I can hear prayers?'

Minato felt his world tilt on an axis, and lost the focus in his eyes as he stared into the void that opened up in his thoughts. The words of Azazel and Sirzechs, of Bennia and Asia began to circle his head, distracting him from the situation at hand to the point it felt he was only physically present while his mind was far, far away.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kiba questioned, not bothering to turn around to face those gathered behind him. The light that rolled off of the Excalibur swords wielded by Irina and Xenovia gave them away, as he could never forget the aura that the weapons let off.

The fact that Issei, Koneko and Deaths coterie were in the presence of the exorcists tipped him off that it would better for him to listen to what they had to say before disappearing than not. Minato wouldn't subject Asia to the company of Xenovia and Irina if not for a good reason, not after the display from the day before.

"We came to seek your help. In return, we will allow you to destroy one of the Excalibur pieces." Xenovia admitted with great reluctance, as if the thought brought her pain. "Alone, we only have a thirty percent chance of completing our mission, but together..."

"I am almost disappointed to hear a natural wielder of such a holy sword say such things." Kiba admitted, turning to face the group with a harsh look etched upon his face, "Are you sure the Church would allow such a thing?"

"It was their ideas to either retrieve or destroy. Like, we totally want to keep them, but its better to lose them than to let them fall into the hands of the enemy." Irina spoke in a hushed tone, as if the thought of losing the blades brought her physical pain, "Will you help us or not?"

"Oh, you bet I won't pass up that kind of deal." Kiba was quick to affirm, "So long as you hold up your end of the bargain."

"Awesome, the gang is all together! Let's go find some thieves and smash them up good!" Bennia shouted out, smacking her left fist into her right palm. The dangerous glint in her eyes was reciprocated by most present except Minato, who seemed to be lost in thought during the entire exchange.

When his name was called, he was snapped out of his existential crisis and brought back to reality. He pushed the thoughts of confused identities and prayer and focused back on the task at hand, namely tracking down the holy swords.

"So what's next?" Koneko questioned, looking at all of those gathered around the fountain, "Any ideas?"

"I... don't know." Xenovia admitted, tapping her left foot into the ground in embarrassment, "I was hoping one of you would have a plan."

"We split up into two groups of four. Issei, Kiba, Irina, Xenovia... you will cover the north part of the city as group A. Koneko, Asia, Bennia and I will check the southern quadrants, we will be group B." Minato finally directed, falling back into habits he developed during his ascent of Tartarus, "Let's all exchange numbers, that way any member can contact the other group."

"Good idea, Senpai!" Issei grinned, whipping his phone out of his pocket before declaring his number. All members of the party exchanged contact information before splitting up, the group of eight becoming two of four.

 **[EX]**

"Sona..." Came the unsure voice of Rias, who stared down at her feet as she and her oldest friend sat nude in the bath house owned by the Sitri family. A feeling had settled over her, a terrible dread that she likened to Death but it was so unlike that of Minatos' that it could have been its polar opposite.

"Yes, Rias?" Sona asked slowly, looking up from the tiled floor as Rias brought her from her thoughts. The same writhing, unsettling dread had settled over her as well, and Sona knew she was not the only one feeling it when she saw the look on Rias' face.

Two different magical circles appeared in the air, and from them Akeno and Tsubaki appeared. "Rias, Sona... you two need to come see this."

"What is it?" Sona questioned, rising from her seat and stretching her arms above her head to remove the strain in her back, "Has something happened?"

"You... you just have to see this."

After patting themselves down with towels, the two Kings were escorted by their Queens to the large window that overlooked the city from the Sitri Stronghold, and they felt their hearts skip a beat.

Dark clouds hung over Kuoh, and thousands of black birds continued to fly through the skies and settle upon any perch they could reach, as if they were laying in wait for something.

There was only a few times in history that such a large congregation of crows showed themselves, and they all involved death in one way or another. Rias sent a text out to her Peerage to make it to the club house as soon as possible, and the horrifying feeling exploded when she did not receive a single reply.

Sona tried to call Minato to see if he knew anything and was directed to his mailbox after three rings. After his assurance two days prior that she could contact him, she had sent him a few texts asking him probing questions about himself, trying to get a better read of the type of person she might potentially end up stuck marrying. For him to not answer the phone, knowing that it might have been an emergency...

"Something is wrong."

The multiple flashes of crimson, black, white and purple lights on the horizon only reinforced those words.


	17. Santa Muerte

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **17,**_ _ **S**_ _ **anta Muerte**_

 _ **Did someone say... Death Cannon?**_

There are going to be two locations I am going to borrow from the .hack/ series, but just the design and a bit of the lore. Two different 'Lost Grounds' to be exact. I'm sure you can guess the second by just the mention of the first.

This chapter is going to be pretty rough for some of you. Sorry about that.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Kiba took the lead of Alpha Group and began to break the city map down in his head into different sectors, his mind working a mile a minute as his group began to scour the concrete cityscape.

Issei was getting antsy, and he was as well. The carrion birds that perched themselves upon every available surface was a terrible omen, and the group of two Devils and two exorcists felt their skin crawling. "Man, this is giving me the heebie-jeebies! What the hell is with all of these damn crows?"

"Calm down, Issei." Kiba ground out, his sharp eyes continuing to scan around him. The group had already crossed this vector of the city once before and had doubled to be certain they did not miss any details. "I have a feeling we are getting closer."

"YOU FELT RIGHT YOU SHITTY DEVIL!"

From above them, Freed Sellzen dropped from the rooftops with a massive, warped blade in his hand, threatening to bisect Kiba from head to toe. It was only a quick interception from Xenovia that prevented Kiba from losing his life, who had summoned his weapon a fraction of a second too late to intercept Freeds' attack.

"Oh, would ya' look at that! Some holy shit stains want to play as well! And you brought me more toys!" The psychotic former priest ranted out with his tongue hanging from his mouth. "I was getting a bit bored with this one you see!"

He disappeared from view and appeared at Irinas' back before releasing a devastating downward slash to her left arm, removing it just above where Excalibur Mimic still rested.

Irina shrieked in pain as her arm fell to the ground and clutched at the wound with her remaining hand frenziedly. Issei slammed his Boosted Gear covered fist into the back of Freeds' head, causing the white haired maniac to lose his footing for a moment.

Xenovia bashed one of the axe heads of Excalibur Destruction into his stomach, launching him away from the heavily wounded Irina, unable to hit him with length of her blade. Kiba was on him a second later, slamming his blade into the priest multiple times per second until they both impacted the wall behind them. Kibas' sword was buried hilt deep into Freeds' stomach, though not a drip of blood fell from any of the wounds present on the body of his foe.

"Holy FUCK! This is AWESOME!" Freed shouted out as his wounds began to stitch themselves back together, the pieces of his flesh that fell away melting and melding back together with his body. His bandaged right arm began to shine a pale yellow, a color like that of a setting sun. Kiba took note of the glow and assumed that whatever lay behind those bandages is what allowed Freed to take fatal blows head on. 'I need to strike now while he is still pinned!'

Kiba moved to do so but was stopped after feeling a tremendous impact upon his stomach as Freed kicked him away from his blade. The former priest proceeded to jump away from the wall, leaving pieces of himself behind in the process. They too fell away and began to crawl back to Freed, who relished in the disgust of those witnessing the event.

"Oh, yeah, that's the stuff right there!" Freed screamed, appearing in the face of Kiba, who had just risen from the ground he impacted, with his tongue hanging from his mouth, "That look of disgust! It's a work of fucking ART!"

Kiba was quick enough to intercept the overhead blow once more with another summoned sword, as well as the seven other attacks Freed released in the two second exchange before Kiba took a note from Minatos' playbook and kicked his opponent squarely in his chin after jumping back and getting a running start.

The maniacal priest was pushed back a few feet from the attack and felt his throat get ripped open by the sharp edge of his opponents sword, only for the wound to stitch itself closed as quickly as any other normally fatal wound he received. "Come on you shitty Devil, is this all you got? MY MOM USED TO HIT ME HARDER THAN THAT!"

"Oh, so now we are getting to the root of the problem! I'm glad our sessions are helping you understand the cause of your psychopathy!" Kiba spat, disgusted by the sight of flesh mending itself back together. He took a step back away from his opponent as Xenovia launched herself over his shoulders, slamming Excalibur Destruction through his shoulder and down to his hip.

Before the blade could completely cut him in two, Freed slammed his glowing right fist into her face. Xenovia bounced along the pavement like a skipping stone away from Freed, who had reached out and pulled Excalibur Destruction from its place inside of his body with a squelch, a look of immense satisfaction on his face as he did so before disappearing again.

Irina watched as the Excalibur Mimic that was still on her detached arm get snatched away by Freed, who then reached out and slapped the girl with her own appendage before tossing it in her lap. She was going into shock from the blood loss and barely felt the stinging slap as her body fell backwards. Her grip on the wound was slipping, and she felt she would die. Issei, who had been clutching at her wound to stifle the blood flow fell backwards as well, making sure to keep both of his hands around her arm as he went.

"We need some fucking help!" Issei shouted into the air, looking around for Kiba and Xenovia with a frantic look glazed across his face, "She is going to bleed out soon!"

To the brown haired teenager, the entire exchange happened in just scant seconds, and he was woefully unprepared for the speed being displayed by both Kiba and Freed. Xenovia was in a state of rage at having seen her partner go down and having her sword stolen by a man that wouldn't die. He wasn't fast enough, nor strong enough, to match the kind of strength and speed wielded by the former priest.

Issei did his best to keep Irina alive in the only way he could, and he feared it wasn't enough. Seeing someone he could only vaguely recall die before him brought back flashbacks of his own near death, and the blood that stained his hands in his nightmares for weeks afterwards. His body trembled with both rage and fear, a conflict of emotion that only made him angrier. He tried passing on some of his power to Irina like Minato did him in his own moment of being so close to deaths doors, and he could see small crimson and black scales appearing around the broken flesh of her arm. It was not enough.

Irina prayed with her last breaths that she be saved, prayed that Michael, who personally gave Irina and Xenovia their mission, would come down from the Heavens and smite Freed where he stood. Her eyes began to close and she felt as if those moments would be her last, dying on the streets of Kuoh, her home town, in the arms of her childhood crush. No such angel came for her, and she lay dying in the arms of a Devil. It was almost amusing to her, and her eyes began to water and fade.

A massive, black magic circle appeared in the air a few feet behind Issei, and from it stepped Minato, Asia, Bennia and Koneko. The group of four saw the heavily wounded Irina in the arms of Issei, and saw Kiba trying and failing to gain ground against the former priest.

Asia rushed forward to the two closest to them and placed her hands around the wound, a silvery green glow erupting from her palms as she held them close. "Don't close your eyes!" She ordered, "I need you to stay awake. It's going to be alright!"

The blood loss began to slow substantially, and the pain lessened until Irinas' face became slack with unconsciousness. Issei shakily let her lay on the ground and watched as Asia grabbed the arm removed by Freed and placed it in its proper spot. She tried to heal the wound but the spell she was using didn't seem to be strong enough. Asia tried a different spell, one that predated any holy spell of the church, though the results were hardly any better.

She was about to cut the flow when she felt another hand appear on the back of hers, glowing just as gently. The silver energy joined with hers that surrounded the wounded flesh until Irinas' arm was reattached to its proper place.

"Good job, Asia." Minato stated, rubbing his leather clad hand over hers for a moment more before standing. "Can you get her away from the battlefield?" He asked Asia in a polite but firm tone, who nodded and began to drag the bloodied exorcist behind cover. Bennia was bouncing up and down from foot to foot with her scythe in her hand and her two coffin wings twitching every so often.

"Can I? I want to stretch my legs!" Bennia begged, seeing that Kiba was only barely keeping up with Freed, "I am quicker than that freak, easy!"

Minato nodded his head and Bennia disappeared from her spot beside him a split second later, leaving an afterimage of her giving him the thumbs up in her place that slowly faded from view. He had to admit, he was highly impressed at seeing such a thing, and estimated how much energy he would have to cycle through his body to enhance his muscles to that degree.

The stagnant stillness that filled the battleground the moment Bennia disappeared from her previous location is what let Minato know that something else was present, something immensely corrupted and fetid.

Freed did not see her coming. Her scythe tore through his left leg, but left no physical wound in its place. Bennia was about to slam the blade of her weapon through his skull when her scythe was intercepted by another, one much more powerful than her own.

The gleaming, purple crystalline scythe held back the ebony and gold blade of Bennia, who stared in shock and some fear at the figure holding the weapon aloft in his bony hand. A clown mask stared from under a soulless black robe, so dark that it snuffed the light around it. Wisps of smog that smelled of infection wafted from the sleeves of the figure and wilted all that touched it, including the concrete below him. Small bones and skulls were held with twine to his gilded black and gold robes, denoting his status as the High Priest of Hades. The blue flames that flickered across his skull and from his eyes were unlike any other Grim Reaper, the flames having been granted to him by Hades to denote his ranking.

The weapon wielded by the clown masked being had a pale blue shaft crafted from a single branch of the tree Hladgud found deep in Indieglut Lugh, the forest that surrounded the previous domain of Death deep in the Land of the Dead. It was a land forbidden to tread by Hades, and many relics of ages past have sunken into the abyss that lurked there.

The cursed blade itself was formed through leaving its blank crystal in the taint of that abyss for eight days and eight nights. It had no name, but it was a well known weapon among the Grim Reapers and the Devils that had seen it. Bennia knew the weapon well, as this was not the first time it had been turned upon her.

It was the original weapon of her Master before it was stolen from him by Sisyphus, who then chained her master to Tartarus until he was freed by an exasperated Ares. Sisyphus must have told Hades the whereabouts of its location during his eternal punishment given to him by Zeus, for the weapon was now wielded by a being that had no right to be in its presence, let alone touch it.

The purple scythe began to shine and Bennia was forced to let go of her weapon to avoid the attack, watching as it broke into fragments upon contact with the curse that dwelt within the blade. Bennia knew the robed man before her, she knew him all too well. It was one of the very men she fled the underworld to get away from.

"Pluto..."

 **[EX]**

"Fuck this shit, I'm out!" Freed hollered as he slammed a white pellet into the ground beside him, causing a massive flash of light to blind those present before disappearing just as fast. The stray priest was gone, having stolen both Excalibur fragments as per his mission.

His left leg had only regained feelings a minute after leaving the battlefield now a few miles away from him.

"I see you didn't fail in your mission. Our Lord was correct in choosing you for this, Freed." Came a voice from behind him, causing Freed to spin on his right leg to face the figure clapping its hands as it approached him.

"Yeah, no, your lord. I'm only doing this to kill that freak that fucked up my arm. You all call him Death... I want to call him a Dead Man!"

"Careful with that tone, Freed... you never know if my Lord might be listening." Came the hushed warning from the cloaked figure before pointing to the massive magic circle glowing in golden light in the courtyard of Kuoh Academy. "Let's get the process started, Valper has been waiting for you most impatiently."

"Whatever, who cares about that old fat ass?" Freed questioned, tilting his head to the right in mock confusion before handing over the multiple swords on his person to the black cloaked figure. "I just want that shiny new sword and my fucking revenge."

"And you will have it, Freed. Soon... I will have mine as well."

 **[EX]**

Pluto stared down at the traitor to his Lord without a single thought besides murder. His grip on his scythe tightened slightly before his blade was swinging through the air to slice through Bennias' throat, only for it to be intercepted by a long, black blade before it could make contact.

"Get them away from the area, Bennia."

The figure that interrupted his execution of the traitor to his Lord Hades was very familiar to the clown masked Grim Reaper, and it was with gusto that his purple scythe was swung at him as well, thoughts of Bennia long gone. Death was his target, and he would not fail his Lord.

Death deflected every blow sent his way and began to push him backwards, unsurprising to the Grim Reaper. Quite a few times the long blade threatened to cut through his robes, but Pluto was quicker than his opponent and dodged each skillfully.

Pluto held his left hand out and a purple magic circle appeared in the skeletal palm before erupting into a beam of magic wider than his torso. His opponent began to strafe to the right and stayed just ahead of the beam, a calm expression on his face as his body began to grow darker with shadows. The crawling darkness made its way over his face and the human visage of Death disappeared, leaving behind the static-like, flickering shadow with circular, silver eyes in his place.

The speed in which the blade kept coming increased further and further and the energy being released continued to grow stronger and stronger until the two were matched evenly.

The abandoned building that was cleaved in two by the beam of purple energy let loose by Pluto kicked up a massive cloud of dust, preventing the figures of Team A and B from seeing what was happening any further. Bennia had called for the retreat, and when the rest felt the type of energy being expelled, they quickly fell back a few dozen feet away to hide behind cover.

 **[EX]**

"Holy shit..." Issei gaped, watching as a crimson beam tore its way through the cloud of dust much like the purple one previously. The blast of energy cleared the air, allowing the seven figures to witness Minato firing back a beam in the same fashion at Pluto from his right hand. The Grim Reaper proved to be as agile as Minato and began to flip and corkscrew his way out of the path of the beam of energy.

The lecherous Devil whipped his phone from his pocket, having retrieved it after Team B appeared from Bennias' magic circle and began to record the fight. Bennia watched him do it, and had to share the sentiment of wanting to record what she was seeing. She wanted to watch it every night before she went to sleep.

"Send a copy to me." Bennia demanded of Issei, who nodded his head in agreement.

"You got it!" Issei agreed, watching the fight with rapt attention from his phone. He wanted to remember what he was seeing, because Minato had already taught him a lot about fighting and he could do to learn more. If you wanted to do something, you might as well do it right.

"Are you seriously recording this?" Xenovia questioned with exasperation coloring her tone, supporting the unconscious and bloody body of Irina on her back. Asia stood close by, continuing to use healing spells upon her while she watched the fight out of the corner of her eyes.

Koneko and Kiba stood close to one another and witnessed the conflict for what it was. Pluto was a legend in the underworld, having been around as long as Hades had ruled the Land of the Dead. He was capable of taking any Ultimate-class Devil and below with ease, and it was rumored that even Sirzechs Lucifer, the Super Devil, would be strained to fight him solo.

Both of them were holding back. Minato was doing his best to prevent any further damage to the buildings around them and seemed to be trying to lead Pluto into the forest. Kiba and Xenovia motioned to depart after the priest that got away, tracing his energy all the way back to the academy. Irina was left in the care of Asia, who gladly took the wounded girl and motioned for Bennia. The two spoke in hushed tones before Irina and Bennia sank into a black magic circle that appeared under their feet, disappearing from view as two different magic circles appeared in the air near Issei, Koneko and Asia, who stayed behind.

Tsubaki and Sona appeared from the pale blue magic circle while Akeno and Rias stepped from the crimson one, each clad in their school uniforms once more.

"W...What on earth?" Sona questioned, watching the retreating figures of Pluto and Minato fight as they disappeared, a massive straight katana deflecting a purple scythe and vice versa with each exchange. Ice and fire began to appear along the ground as they passed, and soon a small trail of destruction cleaved through the woods.

Eventually, they fell out of their fields of vision and it was Asia who made the first move to follow. Rias was quick to stop her Peerage from getting in between Minato and Pluto, knowing that they would only be getting in the way at that point.

"Oh no you don't, Koneko, Issei!" Rias ground out, snatching Issei by the ear and Koneko by the scruff of her neck before they could sneak after Asia. "We have our own problem. That stray priest and some of his friends are in the middle of the academy right now, and we need to fix that."

Issei nodded his head in reluctance while Koneko fell silent. She was loyal to Rias first and foremost, but that did not mean it did not hurt her to not follow after Minato. "Yes, Rias-Sama."

The two disappeared, leaving Sona and Tsubaki to watch the flashing colors of the fight taking place in the outskirts of Kuoh. They shared a moment of silence between themselves before they too departed the place of battle for one of their own making.

A double helix beam of black and white energy tore through the night sky a few minutes later, and the sound of battle grew morbidly silent.

 **[EX]**

Asia continued to run in the direction of the battle, slightly winded from lack of physical exercise outside of working out with Bennia. The energy that had begun to permeate her core kept her moving at a pace she was unused to, but the need for her to help her Lord made her push past the pain.

She leaped over patches of scorched earth and overturned trees with frost hanging from their branches as she continued down the withered path, following the chaos that was unfolding. She would not leave her Lords side, not when she felt that she could be of use to him.

She had felt a connection between the two, and the energy that had been constantly flowing into her since it formed had begun to dim the light based magic inside of her from a glorious golden to a pale golden white, and it had grown rapidly since he faced down Xenovia in her name.

Once he began to surround himself in his energy, it poured through his link with her and refilled her reserves to the point that it was overflowing. She basked in the silvery energy and felt as it began to coalesce around her shoulders. Two small white coffins appeared behind her back and little sparks of light fell from them like snowflakes. They lingered on the ground before fading away, leaving small glittering spots in their wake.

On her right hand, a pale silver tattoo of asphodel flowers and vines began to trace their way up her arm until stopping around her shoulder blades. Asia felt the change when it happened, when her energy tipped its balance. The divinity that clung to her energy had shifted from that of the Holy Church, to one that was far older and more tantalizing.

Pale moonlight flickered down upon her through the canopy above her, and in her hands appeared a weapon. It was longer than Asia was tall, and modern in style if not for the pale shade of silver and dark black contrasts. It had two barrels sitting side by side, one stained black while the other was a pallid white.

Asia did not know what to do with the weapon, but it seemed the longer she stared at it, the more it felt as if it had been with her all along, just like Twilight Healing. 'Nocte Benedictione.' She heard a womans voice whisper in her ears, and when she spun her head to face her, there was no one present. She could not falter, however, and ignored the chill that traveled down her spine.

She ran with the weapon in her arms and soon made it to the clearing the two had settled into, each staring across from one another as if sizing the other up. She saw her Lord with eight coffins surrounding his shoulders while chains flickered through the air like tongues of flame. It was one of the most enchanting sights she could witness. A thick white fog began to settle upon the clearing, obscuring the feet and lower legs of the three beings present.

They charged at one another and sparks of silver and purple erupted from where their weapons clashed. The fog was blasted away in a ring, only to continue creeping back into its previous position. A royal purple seal appeared in the air and sent a beam of energy at Minato, who blocked it with one of the coffins that surrounded him. A crimson bolt of light fired back at the being, who smacked the attack out of the air with the back of his hand. The trees around the two began to wilt due to the miasma that leaked from Plutos' robes, killing those that hadn't already been broken by the spells being fired between the two.

Spires of permafrost taller than herself erupted from the earth and tried to gore Pluto, who darted in between them as if he knew where they were going to be before they even appeared. Grey lightning struck from the heavens and scarred the earth, missing Pluto by hairbreadths each time. Static sparked between his boney fingers as his grip on the scythe tightened, and frost began to crawl up the hem of his robe.

The Grim Reaper did not remain on the defensive, and instead tried to engage his opponent close range once more, causing the rain of spellfire to end and the clashing of weapons to begin once more. Chips of the white shaft of the weapon sprinkled down on the earth below the two as Pluto used the blunt crystal to deflect the keen, serrated edge that came closer and closer to his skeletal body.

The chains that wrapped around Minato protectively lashed out and struck at Pluto, but could not gain traction against the cloak that protected him. The long blade of Thanatos began to tremble under the strain of holding back the ancient weapon wielded by Pluto, and it was only when the chains balled up with one another and launched themselves into Plutos' stomach that gave him reprieve.

Like a wrecking ball, the many layers of links blasted the Hand of Hades backwards and allowed Minato a bit of space to maneuver. Instead of engaging him again, Pluto began to spin his scythe between his fingers and pass it from his left hand to right, gaining speed as he went.

As Pluto continued to spin his massive scythe from one hand to another, a pale blue flame appeared along its purple blade, causing a ring of flame as he did so. He swung the weapon and a wheel of intense heat flew through the air in her direction, causing Asia to have to leap out of the way of the attack.

He was targeting her to rile up her Lord, and it made her angry. Very, very angry. For the first time since she was a young, young child, she used that anger to her advantage and stared down the double barrel of the heavy gun-styled weapon in her hands, pointing directly at the center of Plutos' chest.

She took a deep breath, said a small prayer and pulled the trigger. Two blasts of magic erupted from the gun and began to push her back until her coffin wings spread open and acted as stabilizers. Light green energy flared outwards, acting as forward thrusters to keep Asia from falling away from the force of the weapon. Pluto snapped his head to the flash of light that appeared in the corner of his eye, and it sealed his fate.

The distraction was all Asias' Lord needed, and the many chains that surrounded him disappeared into the shadows. Multiple different portals of black opened up and hundreds upon hundreds of silver links filled the clearing, binding Pluto up with his arms on either side of his head and his legs spread as wide. Seals began to appear along the lengths of chains and drink in the energy of the Grim Reaper, causing the blue flames around his head and in his eyes to fade to sparks.

The two beams of energy spiraling around themselves tore through the chest of Pluto and the chains that bound him, eviscerating the trees behind him until they both disappeared on the horizon. His robed body fell limp before it began to burn in a pale blue flame, falling forward from its suspended position and onto the ground below. All that remained of him was his ebony cloak and weapon within a minute of combusting. Minato stabbed the blade of Thanatos downwards into the black abyss that opened up once more, leaving his hands free to retrieve the weapon that sang to him resting upon the earth.

Minato turned to face Asia after gathering the great scythe into his hands and the two stared at one another for a moment, as if it were the first time they meeting face to face.

" _It seems my theory was right."_ Came the whispy voice of her Lord, and Asia loved the way it tickled her neck and ears. _"Come, Asia... there is still work to be done._ "

No longer would the taint of the God of the Bible hang around Asia like an oppressive blanket, constantly castigating her and holding her back. Now she would shine with the pallid moonlight of Death.

High above the clouds, the Woman in Black lay suspended in the air, watching the two melt into the shadows to travel to the center of town where a golden ray of light shone through the dark clouds that still spiraled in the sky.

Her miniscule smile grew more pronounced and her hand stretched out, as if reaching out for something that continued to evade her, slipping from her fingers like grains of sand.

' _Soon, my beloved son...'_


	18. Deus Derelequit Nos

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **18,**_ _ **Deus Derelequit Nos**_

Last chapter was pretty well received, so thank you all!

To Aetemus, if you want to read a story about Messiah!Minato, there are plenty of them out there. This story is not going to follow that path, obviously. I am not going to tone down any form of imagery just because Thanatos is not his ultimate Persona. I have a very set path on which he is going to follow, and it wont be the type of Salvation you are speaking of.

Quite a few of you have guessed the identity of the Woman in Black and did so when I first introduced her. Good job to you.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

"Oh, even MORE shitty Devils want to play?" Freed shouted excitedly upon seeing Rias, Akeno, Issei and Koneko arrive out of a magic circle behind Kiba and Xenovia, who had only just appeared in the academy grounds themselves. "You might as well call what I'm about to do to you sexual abuse, because I am gonna' fuck each one of you with this shiny new sword! Where is that freak with the blue hair? HE GETS IT FIRST!"

In his hands was a large, golden western styled blade that tapered off towards its tip. The guard along the front of the blade curved downwards while the final guard on the back acted to reinforce the integrity of the sword. Two axeheads were present just below where the blade started, remnants of the Excalibur Destruction that was stolen from Xenovia. Five of the seven fragments of the holy blade went into creating the weapon, and those gathered knew that just one hit would be all it took to potentially end their lives.

"Freed Sellzen, stand down or face the wrath of the House of Gremory!" Rias shouted across the courtyard, chaotic crimson and black energy sparking across her skin. A feeling of desolation welled up and began to spread from her person like waves upon a beach. Akeno, too, began to release her hold on the devilish magic that dwelled within her core, and dull yellow bolts of electricity traced along her hand gently.

Koneko tightened the black gloves on her hands with pink cat paws on their palms, a gift to her from Rias for when she had started training in hand to hand combat after forsaking the Youkai way of fighting through magic. They further enhanced her barbaric strength past the point of Herculean, but no where near the levels of Atlean. She had vowed to have the strength to surpass Atlas, who bore the weight of the sky on his shoulders long ago, and she would not be stopped by some freak exorcist and his filthy mouth before doing so.

Kiba noticed a figure out of the corner of his eyes that he knew from his past, a figure that he swore to strike down when he laid dying in the snow all those years ago. "VALPER GALILEI!"

The anger in his voice, the trembling of his shoulders, the way his sword began to break in his grasp. They all denoted his wroth, the burning flame of vengeance and retribution that scarred his mind and numbed him to the world around him. Valper became his primary focus, and Kiba disappeared from the group of his Peerage members and the exorcist.

Xenovia watched him go out of the corner of her eyes with a scoff on her face before she held her right hand to her side. A golden seal associated with the Heavens appeared near her palm, and a chained weapon began to push its way towards her hand. She grasped the handle and pulled the blue and golden blade away from its bindings before pointing it at Freed, who had a bored look on his face until he laid his eyes upon her blade.

"Ohhh, that one is pretty too! I WANT IT!" Freed shouted out before launching himself forward at massive speeds, leaving multiple after images in his wake. Xenovia launched herself forward, only reaching half of his speed before the two blades collided with one another. During the deadlock, Issei transferred some of his draconian energy to Xenovia, who used the power to further reinforce her muscles to take the pressure.

"Thanks!" She shouted to the brown haired Devil as she swiped her blade wide, knocking Freeds' balance to the side before stabbing forward with her blade. His right arms bandages were cut away as her blade bounced away from the hard surface that met it.

"Oh, so THAT'S what your after!" Freed gleefully noted, looking down at the appendage that was exposed for the Devils to see. A sickly yellow and purple arm made of metal bits attached to crystals was grafted to his skin. What seemed to be snakes made of dark purple energy coiled and moved back and forth inside of the crystals, as if confined against their will inside of the disgusting object.

"Do you like it? That stupid Fallen Angel bitch gave it to me for my hard work, as well as this slick ass sword!" Freed traced his tongue across the surface of his arm twice and then his sword. "This thing here lets me take your bullshit and shrug it off like the flies you are!"

"Well, how about we take an arm for an arm?" Xenovia ground out before launching herself into another attack, having heard enough of the excommunicated priest. Koneko slipped under the legs of Xenovia and kicked Freed into the air by nailing him in the chin with her heel. Xenovia launched herself from the extended leg of the Nekoshou and swiped upwards with her massive sword, yet again slamming against the arm and being deflected off. Freed returned her attacks with his own blade, which blurred into five metallic tendrils and struck out like tentacles of an octopus.

Xenovia deflected four of the five tentacles and Koneko leaped up to intercept the fifth. The young Devil wrapped her gloved hands around the holy object and pulled Freed from his standing position by yanking on it, dragging him through the air before being slammed back down into the earth. The ground cratered beneath him and buried him beneath the loosened concrete and soil.

Koneko was about to smack the ground again to unbury him when the ground exploded outwards, revealing a white eyed Freed, a sickly yellow aura surrounding him like a flame. The sword in his hand became a solid white flame from the holy based energy pouring through it. "Ohhhh, baby that felt good! HIT ME AGAIN, MIDGET BITCH!"

Koneko jumped backwards out of the way as two crescent beams of energy exploded from Freeds' blade. The two crescent attacks exploded against the back of the school building, causing rubble to fly about and rain down on those gathered for the fight. Akeno began to call down lightning now that Koneko and Xenovia were far enough out of the impact zone, while Rias fired multiple small bolts of crimson and black energy. Neither was particularly skilled in hand to hand combat, and prefered to pepper their opponents with magic based attacks instead.

The holy based lightning wielded by Akeno slammed into the back of Freed while the crimson orbs impacted his face at the same time, causing him to flip backwards twice before Issei, who had been hanging in the air in wait, dropped from the heavens and slammed his crimson and black gauntlet into his stomach. Once again, Freed was buried in a crater twice as deep as the first, groaning aloud as he laid sprawled out in the crater.

"Damn, son!" Issei shouted, watching the twitching body of Freed, "Don't lose your shit in the middle of battle!"

Xenovia dropped into the crater and slammed her blade through the chest of Freed, pinning him to the ground while the chains that were still clinging to her weapon bound his arms and legs, sealing him to the ground. "Alright, that should hold him for a moment! Where the HELL is Yuuto?"

"Here..." Came a mumbled voice from beside the group of five, causing them to turn their heads to see him slowly walking back to the first battle. He was covered from head to toe in blood, and the crimson gleam in his eyes was not from the life fluid. A strange blade that seemed to be mixed between holy and demonic lay in his right hand, dripping with the blood of Valper, who was pinned to a tree with multiple daggers in a crucifixion position twenty feet or so away.

His screams did not ring out during Kibas' venting, and it was only when Rias looked further that she noticed he had a large stone in his mouth, being tied in place by the ripped sleeve of Kiba. The viciousness of the wounds given willingly to Valper almost caused Rias to take a step away from Kiba, but it was the apologetic look he held on his face when he turned in her direction that stopped her. "I'm sorry, Buchou... I... Think I got that out of my system."

"You think?" Issei questioned, his nose crinkled and his lip upturned at the smell of blood wafting not only himself, but off of Kiba as well. "Put that damn sword to use and cut off this bastards arm, would you?"

The fist shaped crater in Freeds' chest began to slowly fill back outwards, and his body stopped its thrashing for a few moments. His eyes came rolled until he was staring at the five Devils and the exorcist standing around his chained body. "Hey you FREAKS, let me the fuck go!"

"Shut up." Koneko ground out through clenched teeth before stomping on his face as hard as she could, causing his jaw to dislocate from its normal place and sag down to his throat. His tongue flopped from his mouth and he gurgled angrily at Koneko, who continued to glare at the priest who dared call her a midget. She wasn't a midget, she was just... fun sized. Yeah.

As Kiba sliced downwards to remove the yellow and purple abomination from Freeds' shoulder, the former priest began to struggle and unbound both of his hands quick enough to catch the blade with both of his hands. He rose from his position stabbed into the earth, once more leaving pieces of himself behind. This time they did not heal as quickly, something Xenovia noticed and relayed to the others.

"He is beginning to keep the damage for longer. He can't keep healing like he thinks." The blue haired exorcist called out before removing Durandal from its fleshy sheath. The chains and cloth broke away from binding Freed and returned to the blade, letting the psychotic priest stand once more. He was still trying to speak to no avail, his jaw refusing to go back to its previous position. Xenovia slashed downwards and made contact with his arm in the correct spot, nearly severing the contraption from his body. A bolt of electricity struck him once more and two more small orbs filled with the Power of Destruction slammed into both of his eyes.

Freed reciprocated in kind and struck outwards, leaving a gash along the stomach of Xenovia while clutching his face with his free hand. It was not deep enough to cause her insides to spill outwards, but it was enough to drop her from the fight. She was kicked in the face a split second later, causing her to blast away from the group surround him.

He turned his blade on Kiba, who blocked the attack from the almost completed Excalibur before summoning a sword to his off hand to strike the same spot Xenovia did. Koneko had made her way around and wrapped her arms around Freeds' torso and under his arms, preventing him from moving or swinging his sword again. It seems his mouth healing in time, because he was screaming profanities again. "Get the fuck off of me, Midget! I'm busy with pretty boy here!"

"Just die." Koneko spat darkly, her tone dripping frosted over venom. Kiba seemed to agree with the sentiments, because his arm was removed a second later, followed by his head. Considering he was so much taller than Koneko, she was in no danger of getting hit by the attack.

Freeds' head rolled along the ground and settled at the base of the tree that Valper was crucified upon. "What the fuck? Is... is that my body?" Freed questioned, trying to roll his decapitated head back to his body, leaving a trail of blood for the first time. "Wait... wait... wai...w..." His voice began to trail off until the light in his eyes faded. A yellow shard of crystal fell from his mouth as his head came to a halt.

"That is the most DISGUSTING shit I have ever seen. And I've seen some shit." Issei admitted, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning at the gruesome things he had been subjected to this night. "Tonight has been the worst."

The sound of clapping alerted the others that someone else was present. Those gathered looked around and tensed themselves to fight further, but they could not see anyone else besides themselves.

From the shadows stepped a black cloaked figure, their steps loudly ringing out as they slowly made their way around the tree that Valper was crucified to by Kiba. They placed their leather clad feet upon the head of Freed and leaned down almost sensually, arching their back and hips as they did so.

They picked up the yellow crystal between dainty fingers and then brought it to their face, still covered in pitch black darkness. The arm that contained the coiling serpents sank into the crawling darkness that opened up beneath their feet, disappearing from the courtyard now that it had served its purpose.

"The first experiment was a resounding success, I see. My Lord and I would like to thank you for your contribution. Now, you will serve your final purpose... won't you die for me?"

 **[EX]**

Issei was terrified. Freed was tough to put down, but his current opponent was taking it to another level. She would wave her hands and shit would randomly explode around her. Black fog and dead vines grew from her sleeves every time she tied to attack him.

The brown haired Devil rolled out of the way of another wave of black smoke that threatened to consume him and watched as it impacted the wall and began to eat away at it. The ground the smoke trailed along began to sizzle and hiss, decaying at a more rapid rate than he could have dealt.

'This chick may sound cute, but I don't think I want to see what is underneath that cloak.' Issei thought to himself, watching as Koneko, Kiba and Xenovia began to engage their opponent at close range.

The cloaked figure backhanded Xenovia away while Kiba received a vicious kick to the groin, lifting him from the ground for a moment before dropping him back down to the earth. He sank to his knees before he received a boot to the bridge of his nose, sending him skipping along the concrete like Freed had done to Xenovia only thirty minutes prior. Koneko was grabbed by her throat before being slammed into the ground, causing her to bounce a foot back into the air. The bouncing Nekoshou was blasted away by another kick, placing her in the same general area as Kiba.

Rias and Akeno began to pepper the figure with their attacks, but they seemed to ignore them in favor of brutalizing those that got close enough to them.

"This is bad." Issei ground out, clutching at his stomach as he landed harshly near Akeno and Rias, who nodded in agreement with his words. "We need to come up with a plan, and quick!"

"Issei... how far do you think you can boost me?" Rias eventually questioned, trying to come up with a plan of action that would put the cloaked figure down. With the Boosted Gear, Issei had the potential to double his power over and over until reaching a certain point, and she wanted to use that to get them out of this situation.

"Hopefully enough." Issei admitted while communicating with his partner Ddraig, who was troubled by how easily that his wielder was getting pummeled. "Ddraig says it will be a few minutes. Think you guys can buy me some time?" He questioned as the green gemstone that was embedded within his gauntlet began to glow brighter.

"We can try." Akeno agreed, sending another few bolts of lightning at the figure who continued to shrug them off. The bolts of crimson Destruction rained down upon her as well, Rias continuously flinging them into the cloaked figure to no avail.

"Just what is this bitch made of?" Kiba ground out, having been kicked away from his opponent once more. He began to limp back towards them, only to have to drop his sword and catch Koneko before she could impact the ground once more. "Issei, hurry that up will you?" He shouted out, letting the Nekoshou regain her footing before retrieving his blade, "I don't think we can keep this up much longer!"

"Yeah, I'm trying man! Keep your pants on, please!" Issei shouted back, dodging another wave of black fog that tried to pull him into its fumes. The earth and stone around the group continued to take more and more damage until the rubble of Kuoh no longer even looked like it came from a building, and instead appeared to be have dug up from an ancient excavation site. "Will you STOP WITH THE FOG ALREADY?"

"Aww, are you getting flustered, Devil boy?" Came the cooing voice of the cloaked figure, directly in his right ear. He felt a hand wrap around his waist before a blade pierced through his back and out of his chest. A gout of blood erupted from his mouth as he shakily looked down at the weapon just a few inches away from tearing into his heart.

 **[Thump]**

"Issei!"

"Senpai!"

"Hyoudou!"

"Pervert, No!"

 **[Thump Thump]**

He felt his life slipping through his grasps, like dust in the wind he tried to clutch the wound and felt the life giving fluid slipping through his fingers. He felt anger, at the world and himself. At Freed, and whoever it was that just stabbed him. At Rias, for offering to bring him back as a Devil and at Minato, for saving his life from Raynare. Issei didn't want to die.

 **[Thump... thump...]**

The sound of his heartbeat in his ears, Issei slumped forward and heard the voice of Ddraig roaring in his head, telling him to get up, to keep fighting. Issei felt the anger inside of him rising still. He refused to die.

 **[THUMP THUMP]**

His heart struggled to keep going, to keep pumping. His lungs burned and his eyes watered. The energy that swam through his coils and lurked deep inside of his soul began to bubble and burn. A black miasma began to leak from the wound on his chest when the cloaked figure drew their blade back, before that mist ignited into purple and black flames.

Tears of blood began to fall from his eyes as he thought of Rias, who had done so much for him in such a short time that he had fallen for her. Truly fallen in love with her, to the point that he would sacrifice his life to keep her safe. He thought of Akeno, the sadistic woman she was, and just how much he would give to spend another day just laying his head in her lap as she played with his hair. The pain inside of his head, the constriction upon him felt like it was going to tear his brain to pieces. He brought his right head to his head and felt it fall forward slightly.

He thought of Koneko, of Kiba, of Asia and of Bennia. He thought of his sarcastic, blue haired Senpai who taught him most of what he knew about combat. He thought of the words he learned from him, the advice he had been given.

Issei thought of all of the bonds he made through his life, of his family sitting at home, most likely worried sick over Rias and himself.

The chains that bound the flame roaring within him began to unravel as he thought of the rage he felt. He thought he would be sad, or regretful in his last moments. No, he was not sad in the least. He was furious.

Issei saw the smiling faces of Akeno and Rias in wedding dresses staring back at him in his minds eye and thought of how much he would sacrifice to keep them safe. How much he was willing to give to keep his family safe. The world felt like it tilted on its axis, and that roaring flame inside of him became an inferno.

The figure walked around his body as his shoulders sagged and his face tilted towards the earth, curious as to what they were seeing. "Oh? What is this?"

 **[BREAK!]**

The cloaked assailant had scant seconds to dodge as a black and crimson gauntlet tried to stuff its way into their mouth, though not quick enough. The shock wave that blasted from the gauntlet hit them square in their chest and knocked them back a few feet. Coughing, the figure looked up to witness Issei holding his left fist in front of his face, where a black seal of chains wrapped around a metal skull flashed balefully three times before the sound of glass breaking could be heard.

Energy exploded around the brown haired teen as his gauntlet shifted from crimson to black, and his gem changing from green to purple. Ebony colored armor with crimson scales began to spread up his arm and across his chest until seconds later, Issei stood in midnight black armor covering his legs and arms with carmine accents.

His chest plate was next to appear, only covering him after his wound hissed shut and grew more scales in its place. From what the crowd of those gathered could tell, almost his entire torso was covered in the strange scales to the point that he looked more Draconian than Devilish.

After the chest plate formed, a metal, dragon-like skull with massive horns appeared around his head. Purple eye covers appeared around the eye sockets, keeping his eyes from view as they began to glow eerily in the night. A thick, armored tail flickered through the air before slamming intemperately into the ground, cracking it and causing it to split a few feet from where it cratered. Four dragon-like mechanized wings spread from his back, though not very large in size. Chains wrapped themselves around the wings and held them aloft, waving in the wind to a rhythm only they could hear.

"Oh? This is new." The figure observed casually before gripping their cloak and throwing it away from their body. "I guess it's time to stop playing as much, then."

Twelve wings made of bone spread wide from their back and dark fog coiled and rolled around the many different appendages, tainting the air with its foul presence. The group gathered for battle finally got a good look at their opponent, and tried to maintain their calm at the revealing of their wings.

A leather bodice covered her voluptuous chest and pale flesh peaked from behind its protective covering. Pants held together at the seams by ribbons covered her lower body and stiletto boots that came to her knees protected her feet. Spikes and buckles were criss-crossed across her outfit, further reinforcing the image she seemed to be going for. Fishnet stockings covered from her hands to her elbows, though the Devils could swear they saw bone in certain spots of her body.

Solid black eyes peaked from behind white bangs and a wicked smile made its way across the stoic face of the pale woman. Each of her teeth seemed to be like that of a sharks and a vampires mixed, having sections where they were serrated and sections where they were merely sharp. Upon her forehead was the symbol of Hades, a stylized human skull with flames. In the center of that skulls forehead was the symbol for infinity.

The long and wickedly barbed rapier in her hand was brought to her mouth, where she licked the blood from the weapon with relish. "Ohhh, I think this is the best I have tasted in years! You want to give me some more, Big Boy~?"

Her weapon was one of bloodshed. Its sharp barbs were there to twist the insides and rend the flesh of all who fell upon it. It drank in the blood she did not lick from its surface and began to glow as if gaining heat.

"You take another step towards me, and I am going to shove my fist so far down your throat you'll feel my fingers tickle your asshole!" Issei ground out, his voice distorted and demonic in tone. The purple gleaming jewels that covered the back of both of his hands and embedded themselves in his spaulders began to glow even brighter before he disappeared from where he was standing completely. A loud boom echoed out as he faded from view, the concussive force kicking up a cloud of dust in a circle as he moved.

No flickering after image was left in his place, and he crouched low as he suddenly appeared directly in front of the woman with bone wings. His left fist was drawn back behind him and two thrusters seemed to fold out of his gauntlet before igniting with purple flames. The flames grew in intensity before Issei let loose his attack, driving it elbow deep into his opponents stomach, who folded over the fist and coughed up blood. An elbow was driven into the back of her head followed by a knee to her chin, bouncing her between the two appendages three different times before he kicked her in the same spot his enhanced punch.

The leather clad 'Angel' was blasted away from the enraged Devil and seemed to be lost in thought as her wings spread wide and stopped her flight away. "Not bad! Not bad at all! I've had better, but I have certainly had worse!"

She sprang into action so fast that she was a blur and the two began to exchange attack after attack. "Who the hell are you, anyway? What are you attacking us for!?" Issei questioned in between blows, grunting from the exertion put upon his body. He knew that he could only maintain the armored form of his 'Balance Breaker' just a few minutes more, at most.

"Why am I attacking you? Well, it was an order from my Lord, of course! You see, he hates the Abrahamic factions almost as much as I do! But more than that... I am here for my revenge." The white haired figure smiled, almost indulgently, as she continued to stab forward with her rapier.

Issei was losing ground, and rapidly. It was only the quick thinking of Xenovia that prevented him from being stabbed in between the armored sections of the scale mail that covered him.

"In the name of my Lord, I shall smite thee!" Xenovia called out, dropping from above with both Durandal and the Fused Excalibur in either of her hands. The two holy swords were held back by the thin rapier almost as if the woman was bored with such attacks. A riposte followed the swift block and Xenovia felt the blade sink hilt deep into her chest, almost in the same spot as Issei. Holding her weapon with Xenovia suspended on it in front of her face, she smiled wickedly before twisting the blade sharply and throwing her away with a flourish.

"In the name of your Lord? You have the gall to speak of your Lord in my presence, mortal?" Spat the woman, her beautiful face twisting into once of blind anger, "YOUR FILTHY LORD IS DEAD, YOU SWINE!"

The downwards stab with the Rapier was blocked by Issei, who wrapped his hand around the pointed weapon and did his best to wrench it away from the body of Xenovia, who lay clutching at the wound and staring up at the figure above her with wide, empty eyes. Blood trailed from her mouth as she shakily brought one of her hands upwards towards the Heavens, as if a silent question to the god she prayed to.

"Father has been dead for a long, long time now, little girl! You have wasted your time, and your life, serving a God that can't hear you!" She called out once more, trying her best to rip her weapon away from Isseis' clenched fist, "Awww, don't look so distraught! I can kill you now and deliver you to my Lord! He would gladly welcome you into his arms!"

"Just... who... do... you... think... you... are?!" Issei shouted, pushing more of his energy into his arms and the thrusters on the back of both of his wrists flared out once more, sending tendrils of purple and black flames shooting from them like afterburners, "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

The weapon in her hands began to tremble and shake under the oppressive grip being exerted, and her face went from arrogant to angry. "Don't you dare speak to me in that tone again, young man, or I will discipline you in ways you will NEVER forget!"

"WHO. ARE. YOU?!"

"I. AM. AZRAEL! THE LEFT HAND OF HADES!"


	19. Dies Irae

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **1**_ _ **9, Dies Irae**_

REMEMBER, THIS IS UNDER HUMOR FOR A REASON.

It's a serious humor.

There is a moment I need you to imagine a very famous voice that pops up in many abridged series. You'll know which one I am talking about.

Please... just... You should understand who he is. It's not hard to guess. I have been hinting at it all along, and only a few have picked it up. I hope this chapter answers some questions, and makes you ask more in turn.

This story is going to be taking an AU from both DxD and Persona 3 from this point more so than already, just letting you know. I hope you all stick around after this one.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Koneko watched as Issei held Azraels' blade from piercing Xenovia again with tired eyes. She felt her wounds beginning to catch up with her, and she had to force her body to keep going. The twelve winged being continued to gain more and more strength behind her weapon and the perverted Devil could hardly keep his grip from slipping.

She launched herself fist first into the chest of the former Angel and followed up the heavy fist with a kick to her shin. The force behind the blow caused Azrael to jump backwards in pain, reaching down instinctively to clutch the wounded appendage. Koneko clocked her in the chin as hard as she could the moment her head came down far enough, causing Azrael to see stars and completely lose her grip on the deadly weapon.

"Get away from super perv." Koneko intoned, jumping in place only to drop kick the Angel in the chest when she snapped around to retort. Azrael was pushed back a few feet from the force of the attack and had to flare her fetid wings to prevent herself from sliding further.

"You have a mean punch, little girl. Reminds me of when I was young, fighting with my little sister... I think I'll save you for last."

"I don't think so!" Came a shout from behind the white haired attacker, making her swivel her head to look at Kiba with her baleful, black eyes. The holy and demonic weapon in his hand flared with energy as he moved to strike her across the face, only missing by a centimeter as she ducked her head backwards. Kiba had to stop himself from driving the blade into Koneko by throwing it to Issei, who caught it with his left hand casually before launching himself back into the fight.

Transferring some of his draconian energy into the amalgam blade, it burst into purple, golden and crimson flames as he swung it at her torso. Azrael had to move backwards to get away from the attack, but her shirt was split wide open, causing her breasts to pour out from behind the fabric.

Issei paused only for a moment before launching himself forward again, this time with a bit of gusto behind his movement. "NICE! EIGHT OUTTA' TEN!"

"What..did you just say?"

Anything Azrael was about to say was cut off as Issei appeared crouched below her once more, this time with his fist and the blade vertical facing. "NOW GET OFF OF MY SCHOOLS LAWN!"

The thrusters ignited, and the holy and demonic blade was driven into her stomach before his palm slammed into the pommel of the blade, driving it completely through her and out of her back, guard and all. The weapon continued into the air ahead of the body of Azrael, which gushed blood unto the earth below from the attack.

She continued her ascent from the force of the attack until both she and the blade slammed into the barrier that had been erected around the area by the Sitri Peerage and their King, Sona.

On her way back to the ground, her wings flared out and the black miasma that fluttered between her bones began to pour out onto the land below. The wound upon her stomach knit itself shut and her energy levels, which had already been tremendous, grew even further to the point they threatened to cause the earth to split below them.

The energy levels came back down to their previous levels and the miasma continued to linger below. The Devils and the bleeding out exorcist clutched at their throats and their faces, ignoring their wounds in favor of trying to keep the poison from burning and wilting them away into nothing.

"Damn it!" Issei cried out, dropping to his knees as the black armor began to fade away piece by piece until he was once more clad in nothing but his school uniform. "Ugh..."

Kiba lay on his side, clutching at his stomach and face as he coughed and wheezed in the mist, having a particularly worse reaction to the substance than those around him. Koneko was clutching at a downed tree, holding onto it to keep her standing as she lifted her shirt around her face.

Rias and Akeno had both dropped to their knees, trying their best it shrug off the poison miasma that clung to them and ate away at their clothing and skin. Sona was about to call for her Peerage to drop the barrier and get them out of there when abyssal portals tore themselves open by the dozens inside of the barrier.

"I hope that is the cavalry..." Sona murmured to herself as she strained her eyes to see past the fog.

 **[EX]**

Xenovia was effected far more than the others due to her open wound that steadily gushed blood unto the smashed brick pile she was laying upon. The blue haired exorcist did not have much fire left in her, or much will to live. If Azraels' words were true, then what was the point of struggling? Her God, her Lord was dead.

'Is... this why Asia was... so bitter?' Xenovia thought to herself, stretching her hands heavenward once more, 'I... have wasted my whole life... for what?' Her eyes continued to stare at the beautiful moonlight that spilled down upon the landscape around her, and there she saw many different portals opening up amongst the blackness. From those portals came the figures of multiple Grim Reapers, black and velvet blue cloth flickering in the wind as they stared downwards. Asia, Bennia and their God stepped from the blackness and hung there in the air and Xenovia could have cried.

With but a wave of his hand, the God Asia now worshiped sent a wave of heavy winds blowing downwards, dispelling the black fog and pushing it to the boundaries of the courtyard before he completely disappeared. Xenovia drew a fresh breath into her shaky lungs and spat another mouthful of blood to the side as she turned her head over.

As she was falling into the darkness that she thought was deaths embrace, she felt a hand place itself against her chest and looked up at the shadowed, flickering being staring back at her with soft, circular eyes that reminded her of twin moons in a starless, night sky.

Never before had she felt such warmth, such kindness. Tenderness that wrapped her up like a blanket and comfort that could have drug her under. If this is what it felt like to be in the arms of Death, then Xenovia thought she should have died long before. Even in the presence of Michael did she feel so welcomed and protected.

She felt her wounds, internal and external, healing and the energy that poured into her reinvigorated her for a second round. He helped her to her feet and waved his right hand subtly at the Grim Reapers floating in the air.

And just as fast as he appeared, he was gone. Shadowy footprints wafted from the ground he stood on, and she could see life returning to the wilted grass around her, if only slightly. She felt boney hands pulling her up, and Xenovia bore witness as the many Grim Reapers that came with Death guiding the wounded Devils to Asia and Bennia, who landed not far from Rias and Akeno.

 **[EX]**

Bennia was standing resolutely by Asias' side, wielding the scythe previously owned by Pluto at the behest of her Master, who claimed to have absolutely no skill with the weapon. The purple haired Grim Reaper had an intense look on her face, one of determination as she stared down the figure hanging in the air. It was as if she already knew who she was.

"Master, don't hold back." Bennia called out, her usual bubbly and cheerful tone no longer present, "She is a monster. It's going to take a monster to put her down."

" _I see..."_ Came the raspy response from the shadowed figure, who hung in the air a few feet off of the ground, staring up at Azrael with squared shoulders. _"Who is she?"_

"You don't remember me, you arrogant relic? YOU KILLED ME YOU-" Came the shouted reply from above, causing Minato to hold his hand up, as if to silence her.

" _You do not have permission to speak._ "

Azrael seemed to grow angrier as she tried to speak out only to find out she could not. She threw her head back in rage and rushed downwards to impale the flickering figure of Minato with her sword. The long blade of Thanatos once more erupted from a pool of blackness and he stabbed the weapon in her direction, causing Azrael to flare off course.

"Her name is Azrael, a Fallen Angel that serves Hades as an assassin and bed warmer!" Bennia spat in the womans direction when she flew too close and swung her new scythe downwards viciously. The blade cleaved into the bone and left a chip dragging down its length.

"A Fallen serving a Greek God?" Issei questioned as Azrael twisted out of the way of Bennias' second swipe and launched herself back at Minato, who stood ready for her. "How the hell does that work?"

"I did not think Hades was willing to work with those he deemed filth." Rias admitted while biting her thumb nail, staring at the battle between two legends associated with death. "She served as an agent of the God of the Bible during the Great War, bringing death and holy white fire down on the Heavens enemies. She gained her nickname after fighting Death to a standstill for three days of constant combat. I have no idea of how, or why or even when she fell."

"Three freaking days?!" Issei yelped, looking back up at the former Angel with a new level of fear, "Who won the fight?"

"Death won... he always wins in the end. She died a week after he stabbed her in the chest, in the middle of a battle that turned the tides of the war in the Devils favor for a short while." It was Akeno who answered, almost solemnly. "The Realm of the Dead must have corrupted her..."

"No, she was this vile when she got there. My...'Father' hated her almost as much as I do." Bennia ground out, her teeth practically bared for all to see in anger, "She is the most wicked of Hades bed comforters. They are a match made in Hell, if you ask me."

"Bennia, please calm yourself." Asia patiently reprimanded while healing the wounds upon Kibas face and chest, "Don't let it get you worked up. You know what will happen..."

"You're right, you're right." Bennia sighed and she felt most of the anger leave her system. Asia had been quick to act as her moral compass for the last two months and she had grown to love her as a sister. The two were never far from one another and shared almost every thought and secret between each other. "Thanks, Asia."

"Think nothing of it." Asia acknowledged as she turned to Koneko next, who had been given a lift by a different Grim Reaper than Xenovia. "Tell me when it stops hurting, Koneko."

"'Kay." Came the girls muffled response as she tried to remain awake. She watched the skies through bleary eyes as Minato and his horde of floating skeletons tore into Azrael one after another with sick precision, though their opponent seemed to tank them without any effect.

Any wound that Minato could score against the former Angel, she would heal from and unleash even more damaging attacks back at him. The two continued to gain strength and she honestly feared the barrier around them would be able to contain the conflict for much longer.

It was a clash of two giants, and she felt as if she were an ant beneath them, ready to be trampled should one wrong step be made.

She didn't like feeling this way. She so wished that she, too, could be a titan capable of fighting by his side.

 **[EX]**

Sparks flew as the long blade of Thanatos once more locked with the rapier wielded by Azrael, and the two drew closer to one another to strike out with their unoccupied limbs. Minato proved to be slightly faster and drove his right fist into her nose, causing her head to snap backwards and her left hand to fly off course.

She kicked him away from her and their weapons disengaged, allowing both to regain their breaths for a moment before attacking one another again with gusto. The Grim Reapers had been peppering her with attacks any time she broke away from the conflict with Minato, and Azrael could begin to feel the stolen power within her beginning to dwindle slightly.

"You don't fight like you used to! Where is that ANGER?" Azrael shouted after breaking his silencing spell upon her, launching herself forward with stab after stab with her weapon, attacking so fast that it appeared as if he were being attacked by eight separate weapons. "YOU FIGHT LIKE A COWARD!"

Minato felt his patience beginning to wear thin for the night, and his pull on his energy became stronger. The black shadows that clung to his body began to writhe and bubble, and wisps of the black smoke began to trace along the face of Azrael when he drew their faces close during a deadlock.

" _I don't know you."_

Azrael couldn't believe her ears and continued to attack with gusto, beginning to summon black bolts of lightning and will-o-wisps the size of his fist in between her stabbing motions. The eight coffins that floated behind him like wings encircled his body and began to spin rapidly, deflecting the spellfire and returning it with gusto.

More than once Minato had to position himself above those below, preventing them from taking the attacks meant for him. His Grim Reapers had taken the initiative and formed a guard around the wounded and healing figures of the Devils, knowing that their Master was trying to keep them safe.

She motioned for an attack at his throat and dropped the blade into a different position the moment he moved to guard, slipping under his blade for a moment before driving it into his stomach twice and moving backwards. Her barbed rapier was covered in black ichor that faded away before it could be absorbed.

Minato clutched at the two holes that began to close up at a rapid pace with his free hand, glowing a healing silver and green. 'She is fast. Very fast.'

" _Where is Kokabiel?"_

"That weakling? HAH! Do you really want to know where dear old _Kokabiel_ is?" Azrael questioned while deflecting three strokes of the long blade before flying in a semicircle with her left hand holding her rapier towards him. Her right hand was placed behind her hip and she bent forward slightly to get her point across further.

" _ **I a**_ _ **bsorbed him**_ _ **.**_ "

Minato tilted his head to the left at the admission and could not keep the disgust from his tone. " _That answers that question. What is your purpose here?"_ The second question was emphasized with a blast of crimson light from his right hand, which was deflected by the still glowing barbed rapier wielded by Azrael.

"To kill the exorcist and the Satans little sisters, of course! Then we can get this party started LIKE THE GOOD OL' DAYS!" Azrael shouted in his face before smashing her forehead into his, ending yet another deadlock between the two in her favor. Minato flipped through the air backwards twice before he righted himself once more, remaining in the air high above the academy.

" _Then why go through the trouble of stealing the holy swords?_ " Minato questioned again, deflecting a flourish before driving his blade into her stomach, twisting it and kicking her away from the blade in one smooth movement, the chains wrapped around him reaching out and binding her arms above her and keeping her from going to far. " _Hades is_ _really_ _foolish enough to_ _fight against_ _both Heaven and the rest of Hell?_ "

"Lord Hades has grown tired of the presence of Devils and Fallen Angels in HIS underworld, and the filth that resides in Heaven! Let them come! We have gained a trump card, so to speak." Azrael called out with glee and the fog around her bone wings grew restless, swirling around the two. The symbol of Infinity on her forehead began to glow purple and her wings began to glow an eerie blue like the flames wielded by Thanatos.

Minato held his hand forward and began to pump as much energy into his spell that he could. He could feel the deep darkness that dwelled within her, so much like his own that it confused his senses. Minato would not fight darkness with darkness. He would do so much better.

" _Mahamaon._ "

A pale white seal began to etch itself below Azrael, who found that she could hardly move her body due to the chains, let alone enough to get completely out of the way. As she broke away from the bind and most of her body had fled the circle, it exploded with golden energy, completely destroying all that was within its boundaries. Her left foot was removed near the ankle and she could not bite back the scream of anger and pain.

"You SON OF A BITCH!"

Azrael clutched at the wound and Minato watched in morbid curiosity as bone began to grow from the wound, followed by blood vessels and muscle before finally flesh covered the now exposed appendage. During the healing process, Minato began to pool his energy for a second attack.

"How did you escape the seal? HOW ARE YOU HERE AGAIN?!" Azrael shouted as she launched herself forward at a ridiculous speed, once more slamming her blade into the stomach of Minato, who was not quick enough to dodge the sudden attack, "WHY COULDN'T YOU STAY BANISHED BY MY FATHER?!"

Minato felt his wound being widened as she twisted and turned her blade on itself in anger, and something inside of him cracked and shattered like fragile glass under pressure. He wasn't sure if it was his link with Thanatos, which had been thrumming so angrily and trying to pull him under, or his mind. He could hear whispers, and laughter, and sad hymnals being sung to him seconds later.

All around him, the spirits of those he could only assume were the departed waved to him as they appeared in the air, embraced him and disappeared, like they were greeting long lost friends. The elderly, the young, the wicked and the saints. He could see them all, and it felt as if he were waking up and seeing the world as it truly was for the first time.

His mind burned and his eyes watered, dripping liquid silver unto the ground far below. Lovers held hands as they moved through him, children giggled and skipped. Withered, skeletal men with their skins stretched taut and their beards to their knees strode forward with stamina befitting the young with a twinkle in their eyes. They patted him on the shoulder, ruffled his hair, pulled at his clothes as if they were appraising him.

None were truly tangible and seemed to disappear into a mist as they collided with him. The pale blue mixed with the black and appeared as stars on a night sky as it surrounded him in a sphere

The whispers began to grow louder until he could make out individual voices, but couldn't understand the words they said. None of them seemed to mind, and continued to surround him closer and closer until one by one they disappeared to far away places to rest. Azrael seemed to not notice the figures as they disappeared through him and continued her angry rant as she continued to push and pull at the weapon firmly lodged in his flesh while holding her free hand around his throat.

"The seals my Lord gave Father should have worked! They should have stripped you of your memories and thrown you far passed the dimensional gap! HOW ARE YOU HERE?! ANSWER ME!" Her energy levels skyrocketed, and Minato felt that he wouldn't be able to match them. He was about to call forth a Persona to back him up when he felt a tugging deep within him once more from Thanatos, this time more frantically.

Blackness began to pour from the wound until it stained the air around them. It hissed and bubbled and turned on itself until it began to block the sight of those staring upwards. The mist coalesced into a sphere around Minato and blasted Azrael backwards away from him along with her blade, which flew through the air and embedded itself in the earth below. Golden, purple, green and red splotches began to churn in the darkness and those below could have sworn they were gazing into the outer reaches of their universe.

It was like looking into a fresh supernova, still shinning and glittering in the void.

 **[EX]**

Minato found himself sitting in a plush chair facing forward unto a blank, floating island in the outer reaches of what looked like his Sea of Souls once more. His silver eyes turned to take in the sights and came face to face with many beings he recognized.

A young man with white hair that carried a harp stood at the front, garbed in crimson robes that glowed with white flames along their hems. Lucifer in his truest form of both Light and Dark, Satan, Samael, Metatron, Melchidezek, Sandalphon, Alice, so many crowded around that it became hard to discern one from the other. Thanatos, Messiah, Michael and a few others were missing, however. He could not see quite a few faces he found familiar, and was about to question their location when he was interrupted.

" **Hey, Emo-me, stop your gawking and turn your peepers over here, would ya?"**

'What?' He turned his eyes away from the Legends, Devils, Gods and Angels that stood in a wide circle around where he was seated and faced forward, where he came almost face to face with another seated form sitting in a chair that seemed to be negative colored.

A seated form that looked exactly like him, if not for the molten yellow and golden glow to his eyes. His hair was pulled backwards, away from his forehead and he seemed to have an arrogant air about him. The shape of his eyes, nose, lips and ears, however, were identical. Minato knew he would have no trouble mimicking the figure before him perfectly, should he attempt to do so.

He wore a velvet blue trench coat with two revolvers poking from beneath his arms. The leather gloves he wore were white while his shirt and pants were as black as night. White shoes rested upon his feet, as clean as fresh snow. It was the cane resting against the chair with a stylized metal skull upon its head that tipped Minato off that something was amiss.

"Who... are you?" Minato questioned, confusion coloring his tone as his brows furrowed. He leaned forward to get a better look, as if his eyes were deceiving him. A mirror image of himself was really sitting across from him, and that annoying voice most assuredly came from its mouth.

" **I am thou... thou art I... or something like that. That ain't important right now! What IS important, and listen closely now, is the psycho with daddy issues that just raped your lungs with her pokey stick is gonna do it again if you don't kick this up a notch!"** The mirror image ranted while slapping his right palm against the arm of his plush chair, causing it to creak under the stress of the blow.

" **Now let's cut to the chase,"** The figure rotated his wrist as if to indicate to hurry things along, **"You are gonna go out there, and make her call YOU daddy, ya hear?!"**

Minato had no words for what he was hearing, or seeing right now. This... other him, was very expressive with his face and arms, not to mention his choice of words. He waved his hands around when he spoke, leaned forward to emphasize and slapped at the air as if he were spanking something to stress the abuse he wanted Minato to inflict. "Seriously. Who are you?"

" **I already told ya! I am thou and thou art I!"**

"That doesn't answer anything. Are you... a Persona?" Minato questioned, leaning back in his chair to avoid the spittle flying from the mirror images mouth.

" **A... you SONNUVA-bitch, you really think I'm a mere Persona? I outta'-"**

"Please, just... answer the question?"

" **We don't have time for this crap and you know it."** Came the quick response, and Minato could hear the truth in the words. He rose from his seated position and took a few steps away from the chairs, as if to depart. Before he could 'wake up' and return to the material world, he heard the mirror of himself speak up again.

" **By the way... next time you see Azazel and Sirzechs... tell them Big D says 'Fuck you, it didn't work', would ya'?"**

Minato wanted to spin around to question him further, but he was banished away from his Sea of Souls by the clone with a wave of his hands. A bored look fell over the face of the other Minato, and he leaned back in his chair and sighed, placing his chin in his hand and leaning on the arm of the chair. A collar around his neck came into view as he did so, and a lock with a golden seal upon it did as well. He tugged at the lock and scowled before going back to his previous position.

"You didn't tell him?" Came a voice from behind him, a twinkling voice that lingered in the air.

" **I'm sure he got the message."**

 **[EX]**

The sphere that surrounded Minato began to bubble and churn, rippling and spiking outwards before finally exploding, raining down the dripping shadows unto the earth.

Minato no longer stood as an unsteady, umbrageous figure that seemed to flicker and drift in the wind. Instead, a much taller and much more fearsome being stood in his place.

A stylized metal helmet and jawbone covered his head and face, leaving his circular silver eyes to peek out through the eyelets of the helmet. His torso was covered in a velvet blue coat that seemed to cling to his skin tightly, revealing the muscles hidden beneath that seemed to have been chiseled from marble. A black leather shoulder holster hung from his chest and two massive revolvers hung in its grasp under either arm, both exact replicas of one another.

A large leather belt and buckle covered his waist and held in place a different portion of cloth, which cascaded to his ankles and fluttered in the wind. His feet were covered in black armor that spiked into three toes, viciously curved to rend flesh and bone. White gloves covered his hands and arms passed his elbows, and heavy black gauntlets with vicious claws covered his gloved hands.

Around his back, eight large but flat coffins that acted as a cape hung in the air, bound to him by the chains that surrounded his waist and crisscrossed his chest over the leather holster. Each coffin seemed to rattle and shake in a different rhythm as they flared out around him, while the chains continued to rattle against one another loudly.

His size dwarfed that of his previous form, and the blade in his hand seemed so much smaller than before.

"Finally! I've been waiting to see this face since you killed me, you son of a bitch!" Azrael shouted out before launching herself at Minato once more, ignoring the massive boost in energy he seemed to gain when he appeared from the orb.

He did not respond to her taunts, and instead threw his head back and released a massive battle cry before beams of crimson light began to fire from the tips of the coffins around him like a chain gun.

Azrael deflected bolt after bolt of the energy, returning blasts of blue flame in response before she finally drew close enough to lash out with her weapon again. Her wings flared wide and the black miasma that covered them roared forth and covered the body of Minato, who released another roar so forceful that it blasted the fog from his body.

"THIS IS WHAT I HAVE WAITED SO LONG FOR!"

Minato lunged forward and wrapped the metal jaws around shoulder before a purple blast of energy erupted from his mouth, sending her careening onto the ground once more. The beam followed her flight path and exploded, sending shrapnel flying in every direction from the force, peppering those not far from the impact site.

He dropped from the sky while holding the long blade downwards, goring her directly through the chest while his body impacted hers. She coughed more blood across his face before reaching her right palm to his chest, where a bright blue seal appeared. The seal erupted a second after it appeared, sending Minato flying backwards while multiple balls of blue fire peppered him over and over before extinguishing themselves.

'Those flames...' Minato thought to himself while correcting his body, _"Those do not belong to you."_

"Yeah, I got them from you!" Azrael shouted in response while conjuring more in the air. Her blade lit itself in the same flame and she poised herself for another rapid flourish of jabs. "AFTER YOU TAINTED ME, AND MADE ME FALL!"

" _I did no such thing."_ Minato responded while stabbing his blade downwards into the earth, causing pillars of blue flames similar to those wielded by Azrael to gush forth. The pillars of flame eventually became snake-like in such a way that they lashed out when they got close enough to her.

Azrael tried to leap back and swipe her blade at the serpentine flames, but found that hers were too weak to effect those wielded by Death. She further tapped into her power and felt her body destabilizing from the stolen, corrosive energy that rested within a crystal embedded in her wrist.

The coffins surrounding Minatos' shoulders flared wide, and a pillar of ice erupted from the earth, followed by eight more ice javelins that fired from the coffins like a crossbow towards her.

She dodged the spire and attempted to bat the spears from the air with her blade, but one slipped under her guard and gored her in the stomach. She ripped the javelin from her flesh with her free hand and tossed it back at Minato, who backhanded it away casually.

She was about to continue with her attacks when a blue sigil appeared next to her head, one bearing the Mark of Hades in the center. She growled and swiped her blade through the seal before flying upwards into the air.

"I have something else to attend to. Before I leave, however..."

A portal appeared next to the outstretched hand of Azrael, and from that portal came the badly wounded form of a little, black haired girl wearing torn, gothic-lolita clothing.

"You seem so fond of taking in our strays already... Lord Hades says 'Clean up my trash, cur'."

Azrael tossed the bloodied body from the air, and Minato had to drop his blade to catch the girl before she could impact the ground. When he looked back upwards, Azrael was long gone.

Minato turned his head downwards to assess the girls wounds, and felt his breath hitch in his throat.

Primal, ancient gray eyes with slit pupils stared up at him, almost vacantly. "I... thank... you."


	20. Broken Crown

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **20,**_ _ **Broken Crown**_

To the guest accounts leaving flames, just stop please.

To the rest of you, you are great. Thanks, you guys.

Sorry my story does not _please_ you, RR.

I don't know how, or why, but any review for this chapter is not showing up. If you see this edit, please know that I am not ignoring you. I have no idea if this chapter was well received or not.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

After making sure that the coast was clear and that Azrael would not be returning, the barrier was dropped by the Sitri Peerage and all present gathered in the courtyard near the group surrounded by Grim Reapers.

"Holy shit, Senpai! Is that what you really look like? How the hell do you hide this kind of power in that body of yours?" Issei questioned excitedly, stuffing his phone in his pocket quickly as he approached them with the girl resting in his arms still. Issei did not want him to see that he had been recording the entire conflict once he was sure they were no longer under fire.

The brown haired Devil was more than impressed with what he was seeing. He knew his Senpai was the strongest, in his opinion, but to see it further reinforced only reaffirmed Issei in his quest to be noticed by his Senpai. He wanted it almost as much as he wanted to be Harem King, which he wanted more than anything on earth. Issei felt no fear in his presence, despite the fact that he could be snuffed out like a candle flame in a harsh wind should Minato chose to end him. He had been protected and trained by him, and he would be damned if he couldn't at least try and look him in the eyes.

That didn't mean he would try and ever pick a fight with him, though. He was slightly brave, not overly stupid.

Koneko stared up in wonderment at the being she had grown strong feelings for and felt her heart pounding in her chest. She did not feel fear, despite how intimidating he appeared. She felt as if she were under the thickest, warmest blanket on the coldest winter night of the season, curled up in front of a roaring fire with a belly full of sweets. She took a step closer to him almost instinctively and found that she barely came to his middle thigh at his full height. She did not mind, though.

Koneko reached out and patted at his leg, rubbing along the fabric that hung from his waist and slightly sniffed at the air. Minato smelled of Asphodel flowers and a peculiar spice, like pumpkins and cinnamon almost. It was quickly becoming one of her favorite scents outside of freshly baked fudge.

Kiba was impressed, and scared, by the being that so casually stood before the group of Devils as a friend and not foe. It was surreal, to realize the type of being that had been posing as a human, to feel the type of power he so easily concealed. He could hear the faint whispers that seemed to drift on the wind whenever he drew closer, as if the last words of the passed followed in his wake. When Kiba had sent a prayer to him, it had been in jest, mostly. For his prayer to be granted, though, shocked him.

No God or Goddess would answer the prayers of either a Fallen Angel, or a Devil. There was no salvation to be had in the arms of any type of divinity for his kind, not as far as he could recall. It was almost saddening, he thought, that the faithful that found themselves cast down from Heaven for the slightest of Sin and those born of the Devils with no choice of their own. There was no final destination for them, either. Once they died, they were not accepted into the domain of any God that controlled an afterlife.

It seems that was no longer the case, at least not for Kiba.

Rias had to bite her lip to keep from making a fool of herself. She could remember when he first tapped into his energy even the slightest bit the night that Raynare almost killed Issei. It had been a terrifying presence but not malevolent in nature. It was certainly dark, but it bore no negative inclination or any form of unholiness to it. In fact, the more she studied it, the more divine in nature it had become to her.

To feel the absolute depth in which he could draw his energy from, the vast ocean of umbrageous presence just waiting to be brought forth, it humbled her. She could tell that he was still reigning in the majority of his strength, for she doubted they would be standing should he have not done so. Minato had purposefully held back and acted as a living shield when Azrael began to release her own power.

Akeno was barely restraining herself from making a lewd comment on how badly he treated his opponent when he started attacking with gusto. The primal, bestial roar he released had triggered something in her, and she could not wait until she was alone with Issei to get it out of her system.

Xenovia wanted to fall to her knees and beg for forgiveness for her earlier slights, especially with the weight of her knowledge bearing down so heavily on her mind. She did not, however, and maintained her calm expression as she resealed Durandal into its own dimension once more, feeling the strain of keeping its destructive power in check becoming too much. The pieces of the Fused Excalibur rested in her arms, and she wanted to destroy them even further. She restrained herself and did not vent the strange amalgamation of emotions she felt, and instead nodded gratefully to the immense being that healed her. The longing she felt to once more feel his cool hands upon her was washed away in her confusion, pushed to the far recesses of her mind when he nodded back.

She would think about it all later, when she could speak with the one who worshiped the very being causing such thoughts.

Sona felt as if she were standing on the edge of the abyss, and the abyss was beconning her into it gleefully, seductively, so sweetly. The energy within him wanted to swallow her whole, and she had to restrain herself from answering the call. The young Devil was not sure if she was pleased, or terrified of such a thought. 'This... this feeling...'

She felt herself growing warm in the face and did her best to keep a calm visage.

Asia was pleased to see that her faith was true. Her Lord stood before her in his true form, and she wanted to bask in his presence as long as she could. The two white coffins floating behind her fluttered and began to leave white essence falling to the ground like snow once more, leaving glittering and sparkling spots in their wake.

Bennia knew that her Master was the best person she could have chose to serve. When he donned his true form once more, she wanted so badly to join the fight by his side. The only reason she restrained herself was because she knew she would only be getting in the way. The prankster swore to herself to gain the strength needed to fight by his as a worthy servant and not one who needed to be protected. The scythe in her hand flashed twice, as if agreeing with her thoughts, and she patted it gently in response.

The group was torn from their observations when Minato came to a stop before them, allowing them a better look at not only him but the figure in his arms.

The girl in Minatos' arms seemed to have been healed before he approached due to the lack of a pained expression on her face. He motioned to set her down on her feet and she nodded her head before jumping from his arms, though she failed in landing straight and almost crumpled into a heap if not for Asia reaching forward to support her.

"Easy, now. Let's get you somewhere safer to get you healed up." Asia spoke kindly, trying to be as gentle with the strangely dressed girl with draconian eyes as she could. She was a kind soul despite her... anger, and she would not turn away those in need.

"I... do not know you." The girl shook her head in the negative, though her tone refused to rise above its flat inflection. Her face was as empty and blank as her eyes, which seemed so large and doll-like that Asia wanted to cuddle her. Bennia seemed to be of the same thought process, and was barely restraining herself from scooping the equally as short girl up in a hug.

Minato had to crouch down a bit so that he was not towering over those present, not dropping his energy levels until he was absolutely sure that there was not going to be another attack. " _We do not know you, either. Your name?_ "

"I... am Ophis, Dragon God of Infinity." The now identified Ophis responded blandly, turning to face Minato instead of Asia, "You... are Death."

" _I am._ " Minato eventually answered with a strained voice, knowing that too many signs pointed to that being the case. He did not know the how, or the why, but he could no longer deny the connection. It would certainly explain the presence of the 'Other Minato' and his words. He knew Azazel and Sirzechs held the answers he was looking for, and he held the answer to what they seemed to be looking for.

His brows furrowed and his thoughts were brought back to the revelations made by 'Big D' as he called himself. It was no happenstance that the designation given to him by Azazel and Sirzechs was shared by someone who was identical to himself.

The energy that 'Big D' possessed was identical. His face was identical. His body was identical. Only his hair and his eye color seemed to differ, not to mention personality. Azrael mentioned sealed away memories and being cast 'past the dimensional gap', and it made him realize that perhaps he just couldn't remember his past. Minato only gained more questions than any conclusive answer, and it was making him more confused than before. He cut himself off from his train of thought and shook his head slightly as if to clear them away, knowing that this was neither the time nor the place for revelations to be pondered.

Ophis seemed to be pleased by his admission and took a step closer to him to get a better look at him.

The rest gathered outside of Asia and Issei seemed to be terrified by who the girl claimed to be. Despite the condition she was in, one did not boast the top spot in the charts and become a non-threat, even in defeat. Issei was not aware of any Dragon Gods, as he had only studied the supernatural for the past month with any real vigor. Asia was not well studied in the subject either, but seemed nonplussed by the title she proclaimed.

Rias and Sona moved their peerage a bit back, and Bennia rushed forward to tug on Minatos' arm. "I don't think this is a good idea anymore."

"I... do not... want to fight." Ophis seemed to defend herself at the tension she could feel from Minato and the large amount of beings gathered before her, "I... was betrayed."

" _The rest of your group_ _?_ " Minato questioned as he rose to his full height, curious as to which portion had betrayed her. He knew all about the organization, and had kept the information to himself. Kuroka seemed almost firm in the opinion that he shouldn't involve Sirzechs and Azazel just yet, and he wasn't sure if it was to cover her own trail, or a friends.

"...Yes." Ophis was pained by the admission, and she seemed almost sad, if not for the fact that Minato was almost sure she didn't know what sad meant. Kuroka had been very forthcoming with information on many things regarding her former employer and fellow employees when he baited her with various bribes, ranging from snacks and alcoholic beverages, to a second room to herself as well as her bedroom. He drew the line when she began to ask for... other types of favors, and told her plainly that she would have better luck with Issei, whom he knew Kuroka was aware of.

She wasn't amused. The flat look she gave him would have been better suited on Konekos' face.

" _We should continue this elsewhere, Ophis._ " Minato eventually noted, seeing the looks Rias and Sona seemed to be sending his way. Fear and a small amount of awe were etched upon their faces, and it could have only been from his presence, or Ophis', or both.

He reduced the energy flowing through his body and it began to break down into ash and blow away in the wind with dull blue embers sparking out upon the flakes. Once more, he stood at his normal height in a plain black business suit, and barely seemed phased by the amount of energy he had expended from fighting both Pluto and Azrael. If anything, the dark depths that his abyssal energy resided in seemed to have grown deeper yet, and he wasn't sure where the bottom of the pit was.

"Everyone else... Good night." Minato called out after clearing his heavily troubled mind and the shadows opened up in the air around him. Asia, Bennia and Ophis followed behind him and the Grim Reapers sank into the swirling blackness themselves. Before the portals could close, however, Xenovia dashed through the same one Minato, Asia, Bennia and Ophis had traveled through, Durandal having been sealed away and True Excalibur having been shattered by Kiba after Azrael fled only minutes before. Xenovia cared not for the weapon any longer, and Irina was not there to stop her. A deal was a deal, and Kiba came through on his end. The portals all closed seconds later, and the many Devils gathered could feel the breath they were holding slowly release.

"What... what the hell just happened?" Issei stuttered out, falling on his rear end as the night seemed to finally catch up with him. "Did we really survive?"

"By the skin of our teeth." Rias admitted with a frown on her face, displeased with their performance against Azrael. She basically declared war on Hades behalf against Heaven and Hell, and she immediately sent her brother a text to call her soon. He responded with an affirmative just a minute later, and she put her phone away to pay attention to her Peerage.

"After tonight, it is obvious that we need to continue our training. Something like this cannot happen again. This... could have been our deaths."

"This night poses the end of happy days, I'm afraid." Sona admitted, her serious expression denoting her thoughts on the subject. Her shoulders were pulled in and she seemed almost unsure of herself. Her Peerage stood close by and had solemn expressions on their faces at her proclamation. They, too, knew that things could only become hectic after such bold words from a woman thought dead.

Issei, Koneko, Kiba and Akeno seemed to share the sentiment, and responded in synch. "Yes, Buchou."

The Devils parted way soon after, and so did the figure wearing white armor looming high above the clouds.

 **[EX]**

"I did not expect to see you follow us, Xenovia." Minato acknowledged as the five stepped through the shadows and into the gallery of his home, a large space on the second floor across from the medical bay. The gallery had become one of his favorite places to spend time in outside of his office and library, offering a great selection of artwork to get lost in for hours.

"I... am sorry to intrude. I wish to speak with Miss Asia and see Irina, if that is alright with you?" She questioned, trying to hide a grimance at the tone he took with her. After the events of the night, she no longer wished to be an enemy of his. The admission of her Lords death had troubled her greatly, and she wished to speak with Asia and then Irina on the subject.

Minato shared a look with Asia, who nodded her head at the silent question he posed her. He shrugged his shoulders and motioned for Xenovia to follow after his 'Right Hand', who led the blue haired exorcist from the room. Bennia motioned to step forward and offer the massive scythe in her hands back to him, but he stopped her by shaking his head. "You keep it, Bennia. Pluto destroyed your weapon, and it is imperative, now more than ever before, that you're able to defend yourself and Asia should we be seperated."

Bennia quickly jumped up and down in excitement before she quickly wrapped Minato up in a hug around the waist, burying her face into his stomach while the weapon was held aloft in the air beside her. "You are the best Master ever!"

Minato just patted her on the back and shook his head in exasperation, having grown used to the constant contact Bennia seemed to initiate between the two. She was never intimate, or pushy, but he could tell she was neglected in the past and that it was a coping mechanism for her.

She needed almost constant positive reinforcement, but he didn't mind. Bennia was Bennia, and he wanted it to stay that way.

Moments later, the purple haired Grim Reaper was gone, leaving Minato and Ophis to stare at one another in silence for quite some time before he motioned for her to follow after him. She nodded her head and kept the pace with him as they made their way to the elevator and took it to the first basement level, just below the ground floor.

Stepping off of the elevator, the two were greeted the sight of Kuroka doing ninja moves, clad in nothing more than a velvet blue cape and her panties. She had yet to notice the two and continued with her charades, doing karate chops in the air and spin kicks until she spun around to launch an attack in Minatos' direction the moment the two motioned to pass her.

He casually slapped her fist away from his face and pointed his finger between her eyes. A small bolt of electricity flew from his fingertip and hit her square between her eyes, causing her to cross them and yelp before jumping backwards.

"Please put clothes on, Kuroka. We need to talk." Minato spoke before motioning for Ophis to follow him once more, leaving a scared looking Kuroka in her wake as the two made eye contact. The Dragon God did not seem displeased to see the Nekoshou, however, and it gave her at least some peace of mind as she summoned one of her spare robes to her hands.

Kuroka pouted as she motioned to follow, displeased about how nonchalant Minato addressed her, despite her state of dress. She needed to step her game up.

 **[EX]**

"Is what she said true?" Xenovia spoke up as Asia checked over the unconscious Irina and her wound. The two could see that the scales on her arm had spread a bit further up and down her arm before stopping completely, appearing around the scar tissue and perfectly concealing it. To anyone who saw the strange design, they would think it was an armband or an accessory and not a part of herself.

"I believe it so." Asia acknowledged solemnly, knowing the pain of loss one would feel at such a revelation, "Kokabiel was firm in his belief and to hear it from another..."

Xenovia nodded her head and a bitter expression formed on her face as she sat down heavily beside Irinas' bed. The Excalibur fragments were placed on the bedside table beside her, and she couldn't bring herself to turn and look at the broken weapon any longer than she already had.

Her eyes began to water as she thought back to her teacher and adoptive mother, Griselda Quarta, who more than likely knew the same truth that she found in Kuoh. She grew angry at the lies she had lived for, bled for and nearly died for on more than one occasion. Xenovia was about to break down in tears when she felt a hand placed upon her shoulders, one so gentle and calming that it was as if she were in Deaths arms once more.

"Do not cry, Xenovia. I know of the pain you are feeling... I know it well. I was held captive for a week by Freed, Valper and Kokabiel," Asia admitted while sitting down in the chair next to her, sliding her hand down her arm until it rested upon Xenovias' forearm, "They would torment me each night, growing worse and worse the longer I was held. I lost hope. I had no faith to draw upon by the final night, and I had given up on life. What was there to live for, I would ask myself, if God was dead? But I found my salvation... Death-Sama came and took me away from that place. He gave me a new chance at life, and he gave me my faith back. I would have... I wouldn't be here if not for Death-Sama."

Xenovia balled her fist and looked up at Asia, hot tears pouring from her eyes. "Why did you place your faith in him? How?"

"It was easy," Asia smiled, patiently and kindly, "He is gracious. He is just. Death-Sama had no more reason to take me in than any other, yet he did. He has no reason to help the strangers, or the homeless, or the sick, but he does. He has no reason to help you, either, but he will, should you ask."

Xenovia shuffled in her seat, discomforted by the knowing smile Asia gave her, "Why would he be willing? Why should he, after the things I've said and done?"

"Because Death-Sama has already forgiven you, of course. I have, as well. Let us try this again," Asia trailed off before offering Xenovia her hand, "My name is Asia Argento, Servant of Death."

"...I am Xenovia... just Xenovia." She took the offered hand, and Xenovia felt a weight lift from her shoulders. "It is great to meet you, Asia. I hope we can... be friends."

"I would like that, Just Xenovia."

"That's..."

The giggle she received let her know that Asia was messing with her. Xenovia couldn't help but crack a small smile in return.

 **[EX]**

"Ophis... what are you doing here?" Kuroka was quick to ask as Ophis sat herself down across from the Nekoshou and Minato. The stray Devil was more than a little concerned that Ophis was once more sitting across from her, especially after her betrayal of the Khaos Brigade. "What happened to you?"

Kuroka could tell that Ophis was weakened greatly. She had stood in the presence of the God posing as a small girl on more than one occasion, and each time made her feel smaller and smaller as she grew in strength. Despite the large growth in power that Kuroka experienced during her time with the Khaos Brigade, she never grew closer to Ophis' levels. That told the Nekoshou that even when the Dragon God was holding back the entire presence of her power, Kuroka would still be one hundred times weaker.

"I... was betrayed... by Cao Cao. He... had help from Hades... and Rizevim." Ophis admitted with a minute frown on her face, her primal gray eyes cast downwards in thought, "They... stole my power."

Minato leaned back in his chair and began to tap a finger against its arms in thought, "How much?"

"Almost... all. I... cannot return home, now."

Kuroka felt her hair stand on end and she sent a small look to Minato, one he knew well. She was worried for the girl, and for herself. If someone had the strength and means to steal the power of one who drew her energy from the Infinite, then things were far worse than he feared.

If someone came after the girl again, Minato doubted she would survive, God or no God. He could feel the amount of power hidden inside of her, and it seemed to only be a portion of her reserves, not even half if his estimation was correct.

He could offer to protect the girl, and thus have another reason for other factions to target him. He could forsake her, and give potential enemies even more firepower to use against him if they, too, were also capable of stealing someones energy.

Minato knew it was only a matter of time before more enemies came knocking on his door if Azrael was to be believed. He had no such illusions as to believe that Hades would just target the Devils, Angels and Fallen alone. Hades would try to bring the battle to him as well, as made obvious by Azrael herself.

This brought him to his current problem. If he were to allow Ophis refuge in his home, it would become known fairly quickly. Too many beings knew of him and had regular contact with him and those he associated with for such a thing to remain a secret. Kuroka was easy to hide, due to the fact that Bennia and Asia had no intentions of telling anyone of his secrets, but Ophis was a whole different can of worms.

Her remaining under his protection could be seen as an aggressive maneuver, even if she only came to him through Hades showing off his 'strength'. The act of giving up such a being, and calling her trash, inferred that he no longer had need of her. It was a slight at the both of them, and Ophis seemed aware of that. The Devils and Fallen might also see his taking her in as a threat, if not for the fact that he was sure Azazel and Sirzechs were firmly in his corner.

She was evidently going to seek him out one way or another, this just seemed to be the worst way for her to reach him.

Minato sighed and laced his fingers while leaning his elbows on his knees. His back was hunched over and for the first time since Kuroka had met him, he seemed _tired._ He was damned if he did, damned if he didn't.

"Welcome to my home, Ophis."

If anyone was going to house and guard a supernatural nuclear bomb, who better than him?


	21. Blood on my Name

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **21,**_ _ **Blood on my Name**_

To everyone, I love you all. So, so much. Do not worry about my health, as I have said. I write ahead and get my thoughts down quickly, its the editing that takes me forever and a day. I WILL be slowing down the plot from here on out to focus on individual development, as I feel I have gotten far enough into the story to fully explain what has happened to Minato.

To Cryptogram, glad you caught a few other hints I have left behind.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Xenovia and Irina stood outside of a large church the next morning, Irina having woken up the night before in rather good health for a woman who had her arm removed. The arm seemed to be a bit more sluggish than her right, but the fact that she could move it at all and keep it was enough for her.

Asia made it clear to her that she would regain feeling in the appendage within a week, and that it was only nerve damage that prevented her from currently wielding a weapon. Irina did not know how to repay the kindness of the girl, and had wrapped her up in a hug and cried on her shoulder in gratefulness the moment she had finished speaking.

Minato had allowed the two to remain in his home for the night and provided them money for transportation back to Tokyo, where the leaders of the Church were meeting to receive the Excalibur Fragments and get a mission report from the two. Xenovia swore to herself to repay his kindness, and the pang of sadness she felt upon leaving Kuoh was not lost upon her.

She knew she would be back, and she had a feeling her partner felt the same. Irina always had a stronger faith than her, but she could see the conflict in her eyes. After the experience she had, and learning what the two knew now, Xenovia felt that Irina had lost hope as much as she had.

"Are you ready?" Xenovia questioned, turning her yellow eyes to Irina, who stared up at the massive building before her with a hard scowl on her face. Upon hearing the news of Gods death, Irina had withdrawn into herself and it took her partner quite a few hours of speaking with her to pull her out of her funk, if only enough to complete their mission.

"As ready as I'll ever be..." Irina trailed off with a sigh, her shoulders sagging as she did so. The nagging feeling she had felt all morning had turned into a sinking feeling, and it grew even larger as she stared at the cross hanging above the doorway of the cathedral. "Let's... get this over with."

"Let's." Xenovia agreed and held the door open for her partner, who held the briefcase containing the Excalibur cores in her only good hand.

Many different faces turned to stare and whisper as they strode forth into the confines of the building, and it was only the fact that they had survived the night they had that kept them from displaying their inner nervousness.

When the came to a halt before the four figures standing upon the stage of the church, they bowed and offered a quick blessing before rising out of habit. "We have returned successful."

"Yes, I have heard of your... success." Came the sneering voice of the holy man on the right, a representative of the Vatican and the Catholic Church. "You had to rely on the help of Devils and a being that claims itself a god."

"We had no choice but to cooperate. Our chances of retrieving them ourselves-"

"I do not wish to hear any excuses from you, exorcist Quarta. You were ordered to tell the Devils to stay out of the issue, and to avoid contacting the being known as 'Death'. Tell me, did you follow either of those specific orders?" Was the response from the man to the left of the Bishop, a man only known as Anderson. The outspoken man was a Pastor representing the Protestants, the church that Irina and her family had been a member of for generations.

"I... no." Xenovia ground out eventually, staring back defiantly at those gathered, "I allowed them to assist in the matter upon their offer. Had I not, you would not have gotten your swords back."

"I will only ask you to change your tone once, girl." Came the quick response, "So you admit to allowing outside interference into a matter requested of you by the Heavens themselves?"

Xenovia did not look like she wanted to answer the question, so Irina did in her stead. "Yes, we did."

The four representatives motioned for Irina to place down the holy sword cores, which she gladly did. A Deacon standing to the right of the congregation moved to confiscate the case before disappearing from the room slowly, most likely to inspect the shattered weapon fragments.

"Why did you not tell us?" Xenovia questioned after the man finally disappeared, and the Father to the far left was the man to respond.

"Tell you what?"

"That God is dead."

The number of people in the room speaking on hushed breath fell to zero, and not a sound was made. The looks of rage and condemnation being sent her way gave her the answer she was looking for. "You knowingly kept it from us. Why?"

"That is heresy, little girl. Grand heresy! The two of you are hereby Excommunicated and labeled Heretics! Begone, and may our Lord have mercy on your souls."

Xenovia spat upon the ground and Irina followed her closely, neither deigning to speak as they marched from the holy site with their shoulders squared. The looks of disgust being sent their ways did not bother them, did not phase them. They now knew the truth of the Church and Heavens, and the truth had set them free.

The large double doors opened on their own, and the two former exorcists walked away from their former lives without looking back.

 **[EX]**

He had been minding his own business, reading through the many, many neglected letters within a box when Asia poked her head in the door, stating that he had a visitor. He put the letters back in the large, cardboard box and cleared his desk, wondering who would the visitor was. He nixed the Devils from the list if only due to the fact that they were busy with team building exercises, as Koneko dubbed them.

Many different possible people came and went, and when the person had finally made it to the fifth floor, he could get a good enough reading on their energy to know who they were. He was not expecting to see one of the exorcists again so soon.

"What can I help you with today, Xenovia?" Minato questioned as she poked her head in the door, a downtrodden but determined air about her. She fully entered the doorway and he noticed the distinct lack of any form of holy symbol related to Christianity on her, including the white and teal cloak she and Irina seemed so fond of.

"I wish to be one of your Servants, Death-Sama," Xenovia answered with a stern tone, sitting down and facing forward as if she were speaking with a superior officer, "I have been labeled a heretic by the Church for my knowledge of Gods death, and I have no where else to turn. Asia spoke very highly of you, and she moved me to tears with her passion. You are a good Lord to serve, and I was mystified at how you touched my heart! You healed me the moment you saw that I was dying! I felt what Asia has felt, and I know it to be true!"

"You are certain of this? It is now known to me that I have made powerful enemies." Minato gently let her know, not wanting to offend but wanting to remind her that should she truly proclaim herself to him and it become known, then others would thereby target her for such an association.

He would welcome the girl into his home and help her settle into life in Kuoh as best as he could, should she be sure. Asia had begged him the day the two exorcists departed to help them should they return, and she was earnest in her support of the two. Minato couldn't tell her no, not when she looked up at him with those big, watery eyes. It would have been a sin on his soul to say no to such a request.

"I am certain. I swear I will serve you until my death and beyond!" Xenovia passionately exclaimed before dropping from her seated position to the floor, where she prostrated herself pitiably. Her forehead rested on the ground while her hands were flush with the floor before her. 'She certainly puts her pride aside quickly.' Minato thought to himself upon seeing her actions, no longer exasperated by the antics of the supernatural, even if they were humans.

Minato was not sure what to say, to be honest. Xenovia had made it very clear to him that she did not have a high opinion of him when they first met, and her harsh words against Asia had further reinforced that image. Last night, however, showed him a different side of her. She had been humbled and very polite, to the point that it was almost awkward.

"Rise, Xenovia. You may stay." He tried, and she remained in her position as if she didn't hear him.

The sound of muffled crying greeted him seconds later and he moved to kneel beside her prone form, where her forehead was still resting on the ground before him. "It will be alright, Xenovia. If there is anything I have learned in the past few months, it is that life will change, and we must adapt to survive. You... no, We will rise above this, I promise."

Xenovia rose her body from the ground but remained sitting on the floor with her legs tucked beneath her. Her face was puffy and red from her crying, and he presented her the white handkerchief that was tucked into his left breast pocket.

After drying her eyes, she returned the cloth and took the offered hand to rise from the ground gratefully. "Thank you, Death-Sama! Thank you!"

"Think nothing of it."

 **[EX]**

"Thank you for meeting with me." Minato acknowledged to the two seated across from him casually at the same Americana diner that he and Azazel discussed their contract through. His tone was that of neutrality, and any informal inflection was nonexistent. Two days had passed since the confrontation in relative peace. School had been canceled for a few days for repairs, giving Minato a bit of time to collect himself before addressing the elephant in the room. It seemed that Sirzechs and Azazel had already been in town, so the meeting was ironed out without difficulty.

The two before him exchanged almost nervous glances before they responded in kind. "Thank you for having me, Minato."

"Yeah, what Sirzechs said, Big D."

"You two know why I called for this, right?" Minato questioned as he began to cut into his bacon and egg plate, enjoying the smell of the breakfast foods tremendously. He had been told the waffles were to die for, and having polished off two before speaking up, he found he very much agreed.

"...yes?" Sirzechs voice was almost small in its response, and it sounded more like a question than a statement. He looked much more natural in the black and crimson suit he wore instead of his ridiculous shoulder pauldrons in Minatos' opinion. "I can only guess it had to with the other night. I spoke with Rias on the subject, and she had some high praise for your deeds. It seems the House of Gremory owes you two debts, now."

"I didn't do it as a favor." Minato answered easily enough after chewing on his meal thoughtfully, as if trying to find the best way to phrase the questions he surely had. "This is not why we are speaking, however. I have a message for the two of you."

Azazel leaned forward and ignored his food, seemingly more hungry for information than physical sustenance, "Oh? From who?"

"Big D. He says, and forgive me for quoting him exactly, 'Fuck you, it didn't work'." Minato informed the two with a small smile on his face, enjoying the shocked look the two seemed to give him. "I now know who he is, after thinking on it these past couple of days and piecing it all together. He is the person who I was, isn't he?"

"...yeah, you're him, mostly." Azazel murmured out, his eyes cast downwards into the black coffee in his cup, both of his shaky hands having to support it from spilling the hot liquid. "Dad... he really messed you up. It was... it was our fault you were even there, in the end."

"Explain. Please." The imploring look Minato sent the men, the pleading in his eyes was obvious. His voice threatened to hitch upon hearing the confirmation he sorely wished he did not receive.

"You... were the first person to help me after I fell. When I was cast from Heaven, I did not end up in the common territory that the Fallen descended into. I fell into your land, and instead of killing me for trespassing, you nursed me back to health and got me back on my feet. We became pretty fast friends during my recovery, and before long the two of us were drinking buddies and would exchange stories over campfires. The war had only just begun around that point, and it was you who helped me gain the strength I needed to found the Grigori," Azazel began his story after making sure a small silencing spell kept those around them from listening in on a conversation they had no part in, "Sirzechs was running from a legion of Angels and stumbled across our camp site one night while you were there by yourself-"

"Let me tell this part, damn it! It's my part of the story!"

"Really, Sirzechs? I was getting into the flow!"

"Stuff it, its my turn. Now when he says running from Angels, it was more of a tactical retreat, you know?" Sirzechs defended himself almost nervously, "It's not like I was scared of some measly Angels or anything, yeah?"

"That... is not how I remember hearing it. Pretty sure Big D said you were 'Screaming like a little girl who just found out she was eating her pet rabbit for dinner'." Azazel butted back in, jabbing the Devil in the ribs with his elbows, "But whatever you say, right?"

"Whatever! You weren't there!"

"Children, please." Minato chided impatiently, his left knee bouncing in place in slight anxiety, "Get on with the story."

"Right... I was being chased by Angels that infiltrated my families territory, having led them away from the small platoon I was captaining at the time. Next thing I know, all twenty of them are lying dead on the ground while I was spared, and you just went back to roasting your marsh mellows like it didn't even happen. You didn't say anything to me at all, or even acknowledge my presence at all. I came back the next night on rest and relaxation time, and there you were, doing the same thing." Sirzechs seemed to trail off and tapped at his mouth with his paper napkin for a moment. He looked up at Minato and gave him a large smile before continuing.

"I sat right down next to you by the fire, picked up a stick and took one of your marsh mellows. It was an unspoken type of friendship at first, one that involved a lot of glaring and silent eating competitions, but when Azazel returned from the front lines, the three of us were quick to form a strong bond over guns beings drawn, spears being thrown and deep, deep mental scarring."

"Despite the fact that you two were enemies?" Minato was not seeing the connection between the two easily, considering the Great War was fought between the Devils, Angels and Fallen, with only minor interference from the other pantheons at the time.

"Like I said, a STRONG bond. Anytime Azazel was present on the battlefield, I made sure my platoon wasn't in the area if I could help it. He did the same with his elites, and even pulled out of the war entirely due to... well, you know. You didn't join the war until very late on, and it could hardly be considered warfare, what you did." Sirzechs responded, still eating slowly. His eyes were closed, as if he were placing himself in his memories and reliving them as he spoke.

The emotions rolling off of him were mostly of remorse, but quite a bit was anger. It was not directed at him, but it was present none the less. Sirzechs took a deep breath to calm himself and wash away the darkness he saw in his past, finding it better to not dwell on the war that put him at the level he was at now.

"Why did I get involved?" Minato questioned as he finished the last of his meal, now nursing his neglected cup of coffee with extra cream and sugar. His brows were furrowed and he felt as lost as he looked, he was sure. "How is this even possible?"

It was the first time he had raised his voice above his usual tone, and the two others present seemed almost sad by the declaration.

"They went after your mother, OUR momma. You went off the deep end, if I can make light of the subject. Azazel and I weren't as careful as we thought, and the Angels found out of our connection to you. The Biblical God tried to seal her away after leading a direct assault on Tartarus and failed to do so thanks to your interference. She was severely weakened, but not faded. You went on a rampage afterwards and started to shred everything in your path. When I tried to stop you... well, I've got some pretty nifty scars to show off, so it doesn't matter. You tore Heaven in half, quite literally, when you went after Him. He knew you were coming and had a trap in place, courtesy of Hades. The rest is history."

"Our... mom?" Minato questioned, an intense feeling of dread settling over him as he thought back on what he knew about mythology, both from studying it and living it. 'Oh. Oh no. Please... please don't tell me...'

"Well, she insisted that any friend of yours called her that, considering we were really your only friends. You used to be a bit more... you were an asshole, I can't sugar coat it. Let's finish this at that little bar Azazel said he had put in your place, you look like I need a drink." Sirzechs tapered off before tapping Azazel on the shoulders for him to drop his spell. Once it came down, Minato paid for the meals and the three were off, falling into a bit of a silence as they made their way to his home.

The sights of Kuoh were not as grand as Minato had grown used to, but it had an appeal to it that made Minato want to protect it and its inhabitants from harm. It's denizens were human, yet seemed to intermingle so easily with the Devils and even himself that the lines between supernatural and mundane were casually blurred. It was an unspoken acknowledgment, it seemed, or an intentional ignorance.

There was no way the Devils could erase the memories of every person they came in contact with, and the numbers had obviously climbed during Minatos' stay in their territory. His own group seemed to be treated as if they were friends when those who made contracts with the Devils saw them out and about.

Asia was certainly becoming extremely popular with people in town, if the large crowd in black that seemed to hang out around the edge of the woods for the past few days was any indication. She and Bennia took Xenovia to where he fought Pluto in the forest, and they had yet to return. Minato had absolutely no fear that they were in any danger, as each of the girls had proven to be capable of defending themselves with extreme prejudice. He was just worried about the strange amount of voices he could hear asking for small favors of luck and protection throughout the day. If he didn't know any better, he was starting to get the inkling that Asia and Bennia might have started a Cult.

"Is there any way to break the seal?" Minato questioned, dreading the answer almost as much as he dreaded hearing that he apparently had a mother still. He knew just who that mother was, and it was a horrifying, terrible piece of knowledge to have, especially for him.

"I don't think that's ever going to happen, honestly." Azazel admitted with a shrug, doing his best to alleviate the stress Minato was under, "God is dead, faded away into obscurity to the point that his name is barely even evocable for his believers and children. He was the key to the seal as he was the one to cast it. You seem to have gained a good bit of your power back, but... those memories will likely stay sealed for the rest of time."

"I see... Thank you for answering me honestly, Azazel, Sirzechs."

The rest of the walk to his home was in silence, and the three leaders of their own respective factions seemed lost in their thoughts of the past and those of the future.

They found themselves sitting at the bar on B3, each nursing a drink in their hand. Minato was reminded of quite a few times he saw Akihiko staring at a small flask he kept in his desk, almost in remembrance.

The bartender had been quick to offer up his selection of drinks, and when Minato offered to pay, he chattered his teeth and bones at him aggressively. He took that as a 'put that damn wallet away' and did just that, not wanting to further anger the finely dressed skeleton.

"I am not him, you know." Minato admitted after downing a stiff drink of whiskey, staring into the amber liquid that remained as if it held the answers to life, "I... may have been in the past, but I am no longer that person."

"We know." Sirzechs answered easily, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "But that doesn't change anything for us. If you never remember, then we just need to make new memories."

"I can drink to that!" Azazel agreed wholeheartedly with Sirzechs while raising his drink, and Minato could not stop himself from raising his glass with the two.

"To old, and new friends!" Sirzechs called out clinking his glass against his two compatriots and downing the large drink in one gulp.

"Amen." Minato finally reciprocated and finished his drink before setting it back on the counter. Sirzechs and Azazel saw the joke for what it was and shared a chuckle.

"Now that the heavy subjects are out of the way... I need a favor from the both of you." Minato began, his voice finally mellowing out to its usual bland tone that sounded as if he were bored with life. "Small, and big, really."

"Alright, shoot." Azazel was all ears, it seems, if the interested look on his face was anything to go by. He had already polished off five shots of the strongest drink in the Bar and was working on his sixth. He seemed in a better mood than he was before, as if knowing that his old friend still lived on, even as a new person, healed an age old wound.

"Sure, let's hear it."

"From you, Azazel, I need a for more additions added to this place, if you can. I have the plans to what I want here," Minato trailed off to tap his jacket gently, "I am willing to offer a favor in return, should you have one for me that is of equal value."

Azazel held his hand out and Minato supplied him with the redesigned floor plans he had mapped out himself. The Governor General looked over the blueprints and rolled them back up a few moments later, nodding his head as he did so. "Yeah, I can have this done in no time at all. I have a favor in mind, as a matter of fact, I planned on talking to both you and Sirzechs about it as well."

"Oh? What are you up to, old crow?" Sirzechs questioned with a tilted brow and grin on his face, pointing a finger at Azazel casually while swirling his drink, "Let me guess... you want to get a closer look at the Boosted Gear."

"How the HELL did you know that?" Azazel questioned with an incredulous tone, slamming his hands onto the bar in exasperation, "You always pull this shit! Who is feeding you this information, damn it?! I know it wasn't Big D the Second here, so who?!"

"A good magician never reveals his sources, I believe the old saying goes? No? Either way, you have my permission, should he be willing." The Devil relented eventually, doing his best to get under the skin of his oldest drinking buddy outside of Ajuka.

"You are the damn Devil, you know that?" Azazel felt it prudent to reaffirm, and Sirzechs smiled like a cat that just caught the canary.

Minato shook his head in exasperation at the antics of the two, but felt as if, at one time, it had been a common occurrence. He found that the longer the two sat there and exchanged barbs, the more relaxed he became and even found himself adding a few subtle barbs at either of the two. Eventually, they lulled into silence and Sirzechs motioned for Minato to continue. "You had a favor to ask of me, as well?"

"Sirzechs, I need you to pardon someone for me. Someone... very notorious. I am willing to compensate you to make it happen." Minato began slowly while sliding his glass back to the bartender, who motioned to refill the drink before he held up his hand and shook his head.

"Kuroka, I take it?" Sirzechs questioned with slightly stiffened shoulders, having an inkling to who Minato was speaking about due to the only source of Devil based magic in the building just one floor above them. He knew the truth behind what happened between Kuroka and her former Master, but could not get involved in the matter himself. Politics had tied his hands completely, and even as time passed, he doubted it would be easy to get it done. "That... might be a very difficult thing to facilitate you know. It's a very sore subject between the Youkai and Devils even now. Why do you even want her pardoned?"

A flash of crimson light later and the Blade of Lucifer was resting on the bar, just in front of Sirzechs. "I have permission from the Original to give this to you, if need be."

"You are willing... to give this up, just to have someone pardoned?" Sirzechs questioned, as if he were genuinely shocked, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think that coal black heart of yours is actually made of gold."

"I am willing to give a weapon up for the freedom of someone who committed a crime to keep her sister safe, yes." Minato admitted with no hesitance, no ignominy whatsoever, "Kuroka is not a bad person."

"I know she isn't, and that's why I'm not going to take the sword as payment. I still owe you one more favor, though." Sirzechs finally grumbled out and pushed the blade away from him in denial. Minato could tell he really wanted to accept the blade, but his conscious would not let him it seems.

"Thank you, Sirzechs, for the both of us."

"Hey, hey, it's what friends are for! Now... I know this is a bit of a tough question to ask, but it's been bugging me since the other night. What are you planning to do with Ophis?" Sirzechs queried, and Azazel seemed just as curious. His eyes had sharpened and his slightly drunken look faded a bit, but not completely.

"I plan on giving her a soundproof room. That's about it."


	22. Me and Mine

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **2**_ _ **2,**_ _ **Me and Mine**_

 _Sorry if some of the characters are a bit OOC, I have been doing my best to keep them as close to canon personality wise as I can without just following along without minor and major changes being made due to interference by Minato._

 _The Butterfly Effect applies in this story, and it will not follow closely with canon for much longer. Some things will happen sooner, some later, and others wont even happen at all._

 _We will not be exploring what is happening with the Shadow Operatives or the Velvet Room. This is set in the DxD world_ _exclusively. The moment Minato woke up in Kuoh, that was that for the P3 world. He will still have his memories and such, but Elizabeth and Igor will not be making another appearance._

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

"Asia?" Minato questioned, poking his head into the girls doorway after knocking, "Do you know anything about the crowd of people outside?"

"Oh, they are early!" Asia seemed to hurry along with fixing her black dress and the large ribbon on her head. She seemed to wear black far more than any other color besides silver or white, and he was almost sure it had to do with Bennia.

"Who are they?" Minato was curious as to what she had been doing with the folks for the past few days, and now that he had gotten a closer look, he was really worried. "... You didn't, did you?"

"Didn't what, Death-Sama?" Asia questioned almost innocently, and if not for the small smile on her face, he would have believed her to be. Instead, it was almost mischievous, and the glint in her eyes was reminisce of what he came to expect from his Left Hand and not his Right.

"You didn't start a cult, did you?"

"That... is a strong word to use for it." Asia didn't deny it, seeing no need for it. She wouldn't lie to the God she worshiped, that would be foolish.

"You started a cult. You... why?" Minato was truly lost as to why she would do such a thing. As far as he knew, he didn't even know how to answer prayers, let alone grant favors and things of that nature. He could hear the requests for protection, for healing and good health, and for restful sleep.

Asia just smiled and took a few steps closer to him before placing her hand gently on his chest, just above his heart. "So that others may bask in your glory! Bennia said it would be a good idea to spread the faith, and I agreed. We did our best to get others interested, and before long, we had a crowd of people coming to us for advice on prayer and life! Come to the woods with us, I want to show you something!"

Minato nodded his head in acceptance, not trusting his voice or thoughts at the moment to verbally respond. Instead of stepping through the shadows to travel, the two made their way to the front door, where the large gathering of people remained. Before stepping outwards, Minato stopped her for a moment by placing a hand on her shoulder. "I wish to test a skill, do not be alarmed if they do not acknowledge me."

A small spell circle appeared on the back of his left ring finger a second later, flashing three times before settling on an azure blue color. It was a broken heptagram that leaked the magic sealed within it most rapidly, but it would last around thirty minutes before dissipating at the rate its matrix was breaking down. Learning to make his energy act as that of a Devil or a Fallen to cast their spells was becoming second nature to him, finding that the entire structure of magic used by the supernatural was a breath of fresh air as far as diversity went.

The spell he was using originated in ancient Babylon, and he found that it was one of his more useful techniques to use outside of combat. Those of lesser magic reserves than that placed in the spell would be forced to ignore his presence as if he were not there. It was a bastardized technique used to help facilitate an assassination of small targets, but Minato thought of a better use of it in his current situation. Despite the fact that he was standing directly next to Asia, those gathered did not have the magical reserves she did and thus could not perceive him in the slightest unless he ran directly into one of them.

Minato wished to see how Asia was getting along with those around her outside of himself, and this would be a prime opportunity to make sure she was being treated with the type of respect she deserved.

The crowd was made up exclusively of humans, but Minato could discern quite a few different faces amongst the crowd that had regular contact with the Devils. Namely, the man that still contracted Koneko to play as his knight in shining armor and a burlesque man in a dress calling himself 'Mil-Tan'. How the behemoth of a being fit into that dress, Minato did not want to know. He wasn't one to judge, but he had a feeling that he was going to be looking for memory spells sooner or later.

"Priestess-Sama! Are you ready for the big day?" Came a voice from the crowd, and Asia smiled benignly before nodding her head. "Of course, Hoshiro! This is a day of jubilation! Come, we have much to do!"

"Yes, Priestess-Sama!" Came the response from many obedient voices, and the crowd parted way to allow Asia and by default Minato passage. Minato was not expecting the cheer from the crowd due to the way they were dressed, but soon after he came to a conclusion

'Bennia, you are going to be the death of me.' Minato thought to himself as the crowd began to follow along behind the two like a funeral procession, and he did not make that comparison lightly. 'This has your name written all over it.'

From what he could tell, quite a few older women were among the members of the crowd, all wearing a black veil over their faces and clothing more fit in the Victorian era than modern day. None of his classmates seemed to be among the crowd, thankfully, but Minato had no doubts that he would eventually see a few of them if the growth rate for the crowd continued over the span of the next week.

The men dressed much in the same fashion, only in suits instead of dresses. Almost all of them, anyway. Black, white and velvet blue were the only three colors he could see amongst the crowd, and more than once he saw accessories much like those worn by Asia and Bennia.

The two and their crowd of followers made it to the edge of the forest a few minutes later, and Minato was not prepared for what he saw. Small, crystalline flowers had sprouted up in the field that Pluto died in, and the forest was darker than previously, almost hauntingly so.

Stone pillars like those seen in ancient Greece had been erected around the edges of the clearing with a canopy of clear blue vines stretched from one to another, creating a small 'roof' over the clearing. Pale blue light filtered through the vines and the gaps, illuminating the ground below and giving the entire area a mystical feeling to it. The vines had wrapped themselves around the broken and older trees around the clearing and seemed to be converting the plant matter into stone slowly but surely.

Behind the podium, at the very end of the clearing, was a singular basin with multiple small chalices placed around it in a circle, each containing a different type of offering within. The smoke raising from the basin let Minato know it had been recently used and the pleasant smell of different types of spices offered him a small sense of relaxation.

He could pick out the individual scents of Jasmine, Myrrh and Asphodel gently wafting through the clearing, the smokey scents lingering and venting upwards through the crystal vine canopy above. White and black butterflies fluttered through the clearing more so than any he had ever seen, settling on the back of the pews as if they, too, were waiting to hear from Asia.

Minato could not discern any particular offering that seemed as if it would decompose. The types of offerings laid out consisted of flowers and medicinal herbs, bound together with black ribbon in different combinations and size. On either side of the basin filled with smoldering incense were upside down torches, symbols associated with Death from ancient times.

"Thank you all for coming today," Asia began after the crowd had settled into their seats, each with wonderment in their eyes as they heard her speak. "Today marks one week since these fields were sewn with the ash of our enemy, one week since our Lord, Death-Sama, blessed this forest with his mark! It has been a marvelous week, and I am sure he could not ask for finer followers than you! The eastern portion of the cities homeless are no longer starving thanks to our work, and the local orphanage has displayed graciousness for the repairs to their building! It warms my heart to see such willingness to help your fellow man, and I know Death-Sama feels the same."

The crowd was absolutely silent as she continued to speak, each with their eyes closed and their heads bowed. "You have displayed not an ounce of selfishness, and you have understood his message well, my fellow believers! Please, recite with me his prayer, won't you?"

"Yes, Priestess-Sama!" Came the resolute voice of the crowd, speaking as if they were one. Minato felt the hair on his arms stand up and chills travel down his spine, and at once he began to hear their voice.

"O' Death, From the Mother of Night you came, and over women and men your domain remains. With your love and kindness, you assist those in need, and through you I gain the power to do the same. Today I pray with the stars in my eyes to ask thee of thy virtues true, I beg of thee to look down upon me with sympathy. In your shadows protect and hide us, so that those who seek us to bring harm may not destroy us before you come to us yourself. Lead us through the life granted us, and when our time comes, take us gently with you into your home. Guide us, O' Death, through this maze so that when we greet you, we shall have a wonderful story to tell."

It was one of the most rattling moments of his life, to actually see and feel people praying in his name, if he was honest. Minato felt many minute tugs at his inner essence and allowed the small siphoning to occur. It was then that he understood the concept of Prayer and granting them their requests. His energy had a mind of its own as it settled like a blanket over those gathered, benignly cloaking them in its embrace. It did not enter them, or change them, or even grant them material possessions or power. Instead, it acted as if it were a protective mother, cradling their child against their bosom against the world.

Minato easily understood who those gathered here today were, and those that flocked to Asia like a moth to a flame. She was one of the kindest souls he knew, and she seemed to always have a helping hand to lend to those in need. It was only natural that she brought people seeking help into a religion she and Bennia created for guidance, as it had been her foundation through her entire life.

These were the downtrodden, the outcasts, the homeless and those less fortunate. They did not appear as unscrupulous beings with unshaven and unclean faces, but as men and women who had a purpose in life again and clothing on their backs that wasn't a pair of rags. Minato knew why he recognized the clothing they all wore, as they were made by Asia and Bennia themselves.

'This isn't what I was expecting from a cult.' Minato admitted to himself as he watched the people raise from their seats and gather around one another in small, ever changing crowds, baskets of food being presented between one another and drinks being shared in merriment. Books were revealed and read in the lit portions of the clearing and music began to drift on the winds as harps were brought out and strummed.

Bennia appeared from the shadows after a few moments and with her came a large array of different styles of food. The small table near the right of the clearing was piled high with the different dishes and soon the food was being passed around.

Minato made eye contact with Asia from his spot in the shadows amongst the trees and nodded to her before disappearing from the clearing, having seen what she brought him there for. She was seeking his approval to continue the gatherings. If it was what she wanted to do with her time and skills, then he had no objections.

He just hoped that her cult didn't start recruiting his peers from school.

 **[EX]**

There were many things Ophis had not experienced in her long, long existence, and nonreciprocal kindness was one of them.

She had experienced treachery, and anger. She understood the concepts of happiness and sadness. Emotions and the actions caused by them was not beyond her. She had little need for such powerful motivators, or much of anything at all. She required one thing above all else, though, and it was the silence of the void that bore her. The all encompassing silence that concealed nothing from her, hid nothing in its vast depth.

Ophis was betrayed by her followers, those who she recruited to help her regain her silence from the monstrosity of a dragon known as Great Red. Her power was still, indeed, one of the most vast sources in all of the realms, but it was lacking as far as her potential went.

She no longer had the strength to even pose a threat to Great Red, with or without help. It would take her quite some time to regather the energy she dispelled into the void to keep it from the hands of Cao Cao, a final act of spitefulness on her part before she was delivered to Hades. The two beings did not receive as much strength from her as they assumed, and she would later make them regret their folly.

For now, however, she was recovering from her wounds and nursing her broken pride. The tainted curse of Samael still remained in her body, slowly being expelled through the help of Death and his servant, Asia. Instead of asking for anything, they seemed to only care about her well being, something that Ophis did not understand.

Gods and their servants were a greedy bunch, and despite the fact that has existed for thousands of years, Death made no demands or requests of her other than one. It was a simple request, and it was for that reason that Ophis would follow it. Do not harm those that do not bring you harm.

She did not want to bring them harm. She merely wanted her silence.

When Death approached her the night before, she had been only slightly curious as to what he wanted. He was a quiet being that seemed to make as little noise as possible in not only his movement, but with his presence itself. He withdrew into himself on most occasions when he thought he was alone and the sad expression he wore made her feel unpleasant in a way she did not understand. The past week had shown her that he was an introspective creature of habit, one that seemed to have no motivator for his kindness.

He had asked her to follow after him, and it was the imploring tone he took and his body language that made her accept. It was the second request he had made of her, and it wasn't even a difficult one. The two took an elevator down from their current level and she expected them to appear on the third basement level at the bar. Instead, they went a floor further down and revealed an entirely new section of the building.

The silence that greeted her when she stepped from the noisy elevator almost made her fall to her knees. It was something she had longed for, fought for and nearly died for on more than one occasion, and it was presented to her once more in the form of an entire floor covered from ceiling to floor tile in seals. The seals glowed in different shades of purple, blue, green, red and yellow, fluctuating in different rhythms per section.

It reminded her of a much smaller version of the Dimensional Gap with a massive bed in the middle of it as its only decoration.

Death disappeared from her perception not even seconds later after delivering her to her new home, and Ophis felt that for the first time in her long life, she was confused.

What is it he wanted from her? He only asked for her to not attack his servants unless in self defense, and this is what he awarded her in return?

He did not require her power, and offered his own in the form of healing magics. He did not swear loyalty to her, but did not demand it in return. Death had extended her a hand of kindness for nothing, and for reasons beyond her, it bothered her.

Ophis was used to selfishness, as she was a selfish being herself. She did not know how to handle selflessness. As she moved through the large space towards the bed, she reached out and rubbed her hand across the fabric curiously.

'Soft.' Ophis frowned before hopping upwards and onto the piece of furniture. The bed did not creak, or groan under the small addition of weight in the slightest. The only noise that greeted her was the ruffling of the fluffy blanket beneath her, and it was almost pleasant for something she sought to escape.

She lay backwards and stared at the shifting colors above her, content for the first time in a long time. It was almost perfect, she thought, if not for the strange, nagging feeling in the back of her head.

'What, is this feeling?'

 **[EX]**

Minato found himself sitting across from Issei and his two debauchees, along with most of the Gremory Peerage later that night. Loud music filled the room, and Bennia stood on the stage, doing her best to make a fool of herself with her music selection.

He had been invited to attend in celebration by a rather loud phone call from Issei, and once his three servants heard the word celebration, they wouldn't stop staring at him with large, hopeful eyes until he agreed to attend with them. Xenovia seemed to have cheered up greatly in her time with Asia and Bennia, and she too now wore his symbol upon her necklace in placement of a cross.

Koneko had taken the closest spot to him and had done everything in her power to have a reason to get closer, Minato was sure. He didn't mind, but if she got any closer, she would be sitting in his lap.

"Thanks for coming along, Senpai!" Issei thanked him as he shoved Matsuda, the bald pervert, with his right arm for one of his comments, a large smile on his face.

"No problem." Minato shrugged before taking a sip of his drink, taking in the sights of the room. It seemed to be an exclusive gathering for those associated with the Devils or himself, not that it mattered to him where the groups met. Asia had insisted that she invite her friend Aika as well, and Minato confessed to only having seen her once or twice during class when the group of three met her at her home. She had piercing yellow eyes and a pair of pink glasses, though they did little to hide the predatory gaze he saw her giving him.

It was like a look Kuroka would give him, but on steroids. He instinctively clenched his legs closed a bit tighter when he felt her eyes upon him throughout the night, and more than one time had to excuse himself from the table to 'get a drink' just to escape her. It was violating.

Koneko followed him for the trips, and he found himself in her company for the rest of the night. She seemed almost insistent upon sticking to his side, like she was protecting him from being cornered by Aika. Asia and Xenovia seemed to be ignorant of the development, but Bennia wasn't. Oh no, Bennia was the most perceptive of his Servants, despite her hiding her intentions behind a cheerful persona.

The glares that Aika and Bennia were exchanging when Koneko and Minato returned to the table once more were not lost upon any present, though they laughed it off and continued to enjoy themselves. More than once, Minato had to turn down the request to sing by Issei and Kiba, who had taken it upon themselves to make him 'Unwind' as they said. Minato did not think of himself as uptight in the sense that he did not enjoy a bit of fun, but his fun was found in different ways than singing.

Listening to the music was fun. Admiring the art work on the wall was fun. Spending time with people he had grown to enjoy the company of as friends was fun. Singing... he mostly sang under his breath. He had no illusions that he had any skill in the art of modulating his voice, but when the two continued to insist for an hour on end, he eventually relented. His choice of song was one that seemed to be shared between the two worlds he had memories of, and while he didn't put any passion into it, he gave it as good of a try as he could.

The silence that greeted him afterwards made him reach up and smooth his jacket almost as if it would shield him from shame.

'I didn't think it was that bad.' Minato thought to himself with a frown, settling back into his seat by Koneko and Bennia. He sipped his drink and did his best to not look anyone in the eyes for quite some time afterwards, and they seemed to settle back into conversation quickly enough.

Koneko had not said a word and did her best to become one with his side while drinking her chocolate coffee, providing him a bit of warmth despite the thick clothing he wore. He was more than certain that Koneko was trying to work up the courage to tell him something, and he hadn't an inkling on what it was. She eventually asked him to help the ORC clean the school pool the next day, and he found he was looking forward to it. Swimming was always good, clean, family friendly fun, right?

Minato knew that was not what was bothering her, however. She seemed almost relieved when he answered in the positive, but the conflict on her face let him know there was still more she was keeping inside. He had an idea on just what it was.

He did not know how to address the issue, not in the slightest. Minato cared for the girl, and he wouldn't allow any harm to come to her should it be in his power to stop. That said, he knew that Bennia was of the same mind, and he had still yet to address that elephant, either. Asia did not display such signs, not obviously anyway, but he could tell from her wandering eyes that she fancied the thought more than once.

Kuroka was blatant in her attempts to seduce him. It was not a secret. Not even a whisper of love echoed in her words, however, or her actions. Minato would not subject himself to a night of romance between the two for mere copulation. He was a firm believer in the formation of bonds, and a bond with her of flesh alone would make for broken hearts later, of more than one person he was sure.

He was almost hoping Xenovia kept her distance, but he knew that would not be the case. She eyed him almost the same way Aika was, though with quite a bit less calculations in the gaze. It was a primal thing, something born of a desire of hers that he found himself the target of.

She was beautiful in her own way, even he could admit that. She was clueless of the ways of the world, and seemed to learn as she went about living a life she didn't know she could. Minato could relate to that. Her dedication to growing stronger to help defend their group was another trait he found he liked. She could be a quick study on subjects she actually desired to learn if the way she devoured tombs on offensive magics were anything to go by. She wanted to cover her bases, it seemed, and not just rely on swinging her blade at her foes.

Minato, Casanova that he was, once more found himself in a wicked love... how many sides were there to this? He was aware, and he was stuck at a cross roads with too many different paths to take for him to attempt to wander down one in particular.

Minato was not choosy, nor picky. He had no particular taste, no real desire for the flesh like so many seemed pray to. His lungs were clean of the sin of lust, as was his body. Passion, however, he could still comprehend. The looks Koneko gave him had the fire of something born of something powerful in the making. It scared him, how she didn't understand that those very fires could burn them both.

He was unaware of just what he could have done that sparked such a fire inside of the petite Devil, but would do his best to maintain and hope that she made any decision on matters of the heart with wisdom, patience and thought, not just passion.

Bennia was distant, and seemed to understand the boundary of Master and Servant that she gave herself. She would linger on most days in his office, sharing with him stories of pranks she pulled in the underworld, many of which were on the Devils and Fallen that had gotten too close to her little slice of the Land of the Dead, far away from the rest of the Grim Reapers. Bennia was Bennia, and Minato liked that about her.

She was honest in her enjoyment in others suffering, even if it were not truly malicious in nature. Her prankster habits were an outlet, a way for her to lash out and give others a bit of the pain she had felt under the servitude of Hades. She did not let the pranks go too far, however, because she did not wish for others to truly suffer. Bennia, not once, has attempted to prank him, however.

It was either out of respect, or fear, or a good mixture of both that stayed her hand, and thus her punishment. She had a vivid enough imagination, and while she knew Minato would not truly harm her, she knew he had a bit of a prankster hidden very, very deep behind that mask of aloofness he maintained. That was a scary enough thought for her.

Nothing was spoken pertaining to the supernatural, but more than once Minato overheard the conversations of the perverted trio and the depravity that only they could unashamedly talk about in public. 'What was that about a harem? Dreams? Senpai? Issei barely makes sense as a person as it is, now he's just speaking gibberish.' Minato thought to himself in confusion, taking a sip of his drink and ignoring the flustered looks the boy kept sending him, or those of envy from Matsuda and Motohama.

'Why are they looking at me like that?' Minato questioned before looking around the booth for a second. Then it dawned on him, like the sun parting the wispy clouds of morning that hung low upon the earth.

'They think I'm starting a harem.' Minato looked around and placed himself in their shoes for a moment and came to a startling conclusion. 'It looks like I have a harem.'

Everything was starting to make more sense to him, but he found that the opposite was also true. The more that made sense, the less that made sense in his life. 'Why? What did I do in my past life to deserve this?'

He could almost hear a supreme uproar of laughter in the back of his head, deep in his psych, at the question.

His agreement with Issei was up, it seemed, but Minato had grown used to the supreme pervert and his mind by this point. He likened Issei to a cough he just couldn't shake after smoking for forty years, had he done such a thing. Minato found himself as the subject of a few under the breath comments from Aika to Asia and Bennia, who wore large grins on their faces as both of their phones vibrated.

After another hour of exchanging pleasant conversation, those associated with Minato departed for the night. Xenovia and Bennia had become quick friends with Aika, and he feared that now that the four girls were chatting as happily as they were, he would be seeing more of the spectacled girl.

They approached the girls family home not long after leaving behind the Devils for the night, and the three that swore to serve Minato assured her that they would call her later. Before the slightly smaller group could depart, however, Aika leaned in to address him, not wanting the others to overhear her it seemed.

" _Do you mind if I call you Big D?"_

 **[EX]**

Minato lay awake that night, staring up at his ceiling with a conflicted look upon his face and in his eyes. He was disturbed by many things, many revelations he had made during his stay in this world.

He thought of his comrades, most likely having formed families of their own by this point. He thought of his past as a student at Gekkoukan, of simpler times in his life. He thought of his time as a human, if he was ever truly human to begin with. He thought of his doubts, of his conflicts still tearing at him.

Just who was he?

It kept him up almost every single night for the past week. He had finally come to a realization this night upon making sure that everyone was settled in for the night almost like a mother hen would.

His past life as 'Big D' was gone. His past life as a member of SEES was as well. He may not have the memories of a greater portion of his life, and knew he never would, but he did have the memories of those who still mattered to him. He would always think of them dearly, but his family seems to have grown in members, and Minato truly felt that he could accept new and old friends into his life without feeling conflicted any longer.

He was Minato. He was the man in the mirror, and so much more than that. He picked up the pieces of his past and created a new life with them. His thoughts began to drift to lighter subjects, of those less capable of keeping him awake any longer than they had already.

Minato began to relax upon clearing his mind until he heard the light rustling of fabric once more, coming from a chair placed next to his bed.

He turned his head and there she was, still sitting there with an almost blank expression on her face, twinged with doubt. Reptilian, ancient eyes regarded him, and pale silver regarded her back.

Minato rolled his head back to face the ceiling, a feeling of dread forming in his stomach.

He had no idea how to get the walking, talking supernatural nuclear bomb to leave his room without potentially setting it off.


	23. Learning to Swim

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **2**_ _ **3, Learning to Swim**_

Thank you all for the kind reviews and for sticking around for so long! This chapter is just for the light hearted. No violence this time, folks. SOON, THOUGH.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Minato was having a rough morning. Everywhere he went, the little Dragon God followed him, watching him do everything as if she were judging him. Taking his morning shower was the most disturbing experience in his life. He had gently guided the girl from the bathroom and proceeded to strip quickly before hopping in the large shower and sliding the door shut.

He heard her enter not even seconds later, staring at him through the warped glass. Minato had to use a small amount of magic to create a barrier that would block her sight for those two minutes, and the it was one of the most tense two minutes of his life. She did not have a malicious intent, nor even a perverse intent. She was scrutinizing him, and he did not want to be judged while he bathed.

Minato had to step through his shadow to evade the presence in his bathroom, appearing in the main portion of his room in nothing but a towel. Going into the large closet of clothing he owned, he went digging for a pair of swimming shorts after gathering his normal clothes, only to come to a horrifying discovery.

Azazel had replaced his swimming shorts with something Akihiko would have appreciated.

'Not happening. No.'

He did not replace them where they were found, instead turning to dispose of them by burning them and scattering their ashes from his window when he was stopped by Ophis, who stood in the closet with him.

"Panties." Ophis stated while her eyebrows slightly furrowed, staring at him in questioning.

"Ah... no. These are not panties." Minato blanched and quickly tried to explain, "Swimming gear."

"...Swimming?" Ophis tilted her head, having heard the phrase but not knowing what it meant. She had never had the need to move her body through a body of water, and was not familiar with the concept.

"Yes, swimming." Minato confirmed while skillfully stepping around the girl and moving away from the closet with the velvet blue mankini in his hand before holding the article of embarrassing clothing out of the window to destroy it.

They were snatched from him by a two tailed black cat, who then disappeared around the corner of his building, still hanging along the rails. "What." He saw the white as well as the velvet blue, and then felt the breeze. Looking downwards, his lack of a protective barrier was made obvious.

"Naked." Came the voice from behind him, and he snatched the curtain from its place around his window before wearing it as it were a toga.

"Ophis. Please." Minato pleaded, his voice strained as he made his way back to his closet. 'This is a nightmare. I can't wake up.'

That was the only explination he could think of. Someone had either cursed him, or he was still having a nightmare. He pinched himself as he dug through his clothing once more, this time gathering his normal suit of black and gloves as well as socks and underwear. It might have been a nightmare within a nightmare.

"Please, what?" She was doing it on purpose. She had to be. Minato turned his head slowly, and there she stood, almost touching him with how little space there was between the two.

"Nothing." Minato mumbled out while slipping his underclothes on beneath the improvised toga. 'This is not happening. This is not happening.'

He couldn't tell the nuke to go away. Minato was just going to have to suck it up and deal with it until she grew bored with him. He dropped the toga and suited himself up before leaving the closet for a second time.

His shoes and gloves were slipped on and the rest of his belongings were placed in their spots. He had a special holster placed on the inside of his jacket to hold the exorcist blade that he stole from Freed months before, still wanting to tinker with the device and make it something he could use.

"Well, time to go shopping first." Minato sighed before pulling his phone from his jacket and sending Koneko a text informing her of his slight delay. She quickly replied that he better hurry up or else.

'Or else what?' Minato thought to himself curiously as he left the room, seemingly forgetting about the Dragon God following after him as silent as the grave. Asia, Bennia and Xenovia met him on the ground floor, each dressed in clothing fit for his cult. "Do you not have casual clothes?" Minato questioned upon seeing their outfits, though he was not much better with his thick black suit and gloves. Over the past few weeks, Minato had found that his body barely produced any heat and that he was almost cold to the touch. Koneko continuously complained about his hands being freezing until he started wearing the gloves.

"These ARE our casual clothes, Master!" Bennia quipped, almost bouncing in place in excitement, "I love them, they make us look serious!"

"But we- You know what, you're right." Minato cut himself off and gave up on his train of thought. He didn't want to inform her that looking serious did not mean looking as if she were in mourning. "We look serious, alright."

"See, I told you he would agree!" The petite Grim Reaper turned to Asia and grinned, while the blond returned the gesture. "I did not doubt you one bit, Bennia."

"I did." Xenovia murmured under her breath while tugging at her top a bit, "This uniform is a bit much, even by my standards."

"Well no one asked you, tits!" Bennia growled out in good nature while bumping her hip against the larger girl, who bumped her right back. Xenovia didn't look offended at the nickname at all, and instead relished in the look being sent at her. "What is that I hear in your voice?"

"We're leaving." Minato finally spoke up over the three and motioned for the door, causing the three to fall in line as they were exiting the building. It took a few more minutes to reach the only clothing store that sold the type of clothing he was looking for, and it took more than a few to find the right size for him.

Xenovia, Bennia and Asia grabbed their own suits and payed for them separately, each having been given a handsome allowance for personal belongings and such. It was only when he turned to leave did he notice something that terrified him.

"Ophis. You... are still following me?" Minato questioned, seeing the dull eyed girl still standing in his pathway, still judging him for all he was worth. It was intense, despite the fact that she looked half asleep. It was not the look, but the intent behind it. She still wore her gothic-lolita dress and he had to stop himself from saying anything about her lack of a real top.

"Yes." Ophis responded, not moving from his way or much at all, "I, am."

Minato looked back at his servants, who each looked as if they were stricken from what he assumed was fear. He didn't know how wrong he was.

"Let's get you a bathing suit!" Asia seemed extremely excited, as did Bennia, "You can go swimming with us!"

Ophis did not resist as Asia grew closer to her, knowing that the girl meant her no harm in the least. She had done much to help heal Ophis, so when Asia reached out and began to physically guide her, she did not resist. The purple haired Grim Reaper that served Death also seemed to be kind, and did not demand anything from Ophis, rather, the Dragon God was often given little things called 'treats' like chocolate and vanilla cookies.

Ophis found out she liked cookies. Quite a bit. These two were kind and helped her by giving her treats, so Ophis did not want to silence them. She did, however, want to go 'swimming', whatever it was. If Death was doing it, she would try it, and through this experience learn more about his motives.

"Swimming..." It was not a question this time, but a statement. The two girls took that as an affirmative and quickly grabbed the girl by the shoulders and leading her away. Minato stood frozen in shock for a scant second before moving to follow quickly. 'Oh no, no, no. No.'

Xenovia was aware of the supreme power wielded by Ophis through hearing of her, mostly through legends Bennia knew of. She knew that the girl was the Dragon God, and it was that reason that she tried to hold in her thoughts on how cute she was. Seeing the hopelessly lost look on her face, it was too much for her.

Xenovia helped her two fellow servants pick out a bathing suit for the girl and even demonstrated how she could put the clothing on.

Minato stood outside of the clothing store, nervously checking his phone every few minutes and tapping his foot. When the four stepped from the building, still clad in their normal clothes but with bags in their arms, he let out a sigh of relief.

'Can't wake up.'

 **[EX]**

The Devils were warned ahead of time that he had an extra tagging along in the form of a Dragon God, almost causing a panic at the pool as they hastened to finish cleaning in time for their arrival. At first, they were going to try and sucker Minato to helping them, but Rias quickly dashed that plan and hurried them along in their cleaning.

By the time Minato, Asia, Bennia, Xenovia and Ophis finally made it to the pool, it was sparkling clean and ready for use.

"Well, I was going to help." Minato admitted before moving towards the changing room with Issei and Kiba, leaving the large gathering of females to tip-toe around the fact that Ophis motioned to follow after Minato. "But this is fine."

The girly scream from Kiba came a few seconds later let them know that she had been spotted. Kiba left the room pretty quickly while you could hear a 'Senpai, what the hell man! Do you mind letting me at least change first?' from Issei.

Issei must have been glared at by the two others in the room because he excused himself from the room with his head hanging low. Minato gently guided Ophis away from the room and shut the door behind him before stripping of his clothes, throwing them into a locker, slamming it shut and hopping into the loose shorts as quickly as he could, feeling her slowly pushing the door open despite the fact that he was leaning against it.

'Please. No.'

He tied his shorts tightly before stepping away from the door and trying to slip a black t-shirt on, only for her to reach her hand up and prevent him from doing so. "Stop."

Minato watched as she traced her finger along his chest, where dozens of scars remained from his many encounters with the Shadows of Tartarus. While the healing spells he used now could heal without leaving a scar, at the time he had to resort to bandages and other means of healing.

"What happened." It was a statement, not a question, but Minato answered anyway.

"Combat. They fought, they died." He admitted while forcing the T-shirt downwards to cover his flesh. "Do you wish to change?" Minato questioned as he moved away from the doorway so that she could have privacy to do so when she nodded.

Asia, Bennia and Xenovia rushed into the mens changing room to help her, shutting the door behind them as they did so.

Minato was left standing alone awkwardly, the incredulous faces of the Devils too much for him to bear. "Sorry."

"It... it's okay." Rias murmured out before motioning for Issei and Kiba to change in the girls room before she, Koneko and Akeno could get changed. A loud voice was heard from behind the changing room and Irina came running around the corner, flushed in embarrassment. "You guys didn't wake me up!" Irina scolded Rias and Issei, who looked upwards and away before pointing to themselves. "Who, us?"

"Very funny." Irina murmured to herself before turning to Minato, whom she waved at gratefully. "Hello, Death-Senpai!" She greeted before approaching him almost shyly. Minato noticed the band around her arm covered in scales had spread further upwards and downwards, though it had yet to reach her forearm or shoulder blades.

"Hello, Irina." Minato greeted and held his hand out for her to shake, which she did. "I wasn't expecting to see you in present company." He admitted before motioning to the door. "Xenovia is just inside, helping Ophis get into her swim wear I assume."

"Oh, I know she's here. We keep in touch, and she was the one who encouraged me to join Rias-Sama and her Peerage as a Knight." Irina admitted, crossing both of her arms behind her back as she spoke. "It's been... fun, being a Devil. I want to thank you for helping heal me." The former exorcist began, only for Minato to hold up his hands.

"No thanks needed, Irina."

She seemed to accept his words after a few seconds of consideration before setting her beach bag by the lounging chairs and sitting down, placing a sunhat atop her head and relaxing into the chair, ignoring the two that left her behind to sleep in for the day.

Minato knew that she had been excommunicated along with Xenovia, but did not question her whereabouts as it was none of his business. He certainly wasn't expecting her to end up becoming a Devil, however. The shift in her arms nature also let him know that something Issei had done to her wound not only saved her life, but transferred some of his own life essence into her. It was sort of romantic, in a morbid way, Minato thought. Giving someone a piece of yourself to live just that much longer until help arrived.

Despite being a raging, hormonal pervert, Issei could be chivalrous.

Xenovia, Asia, Bennia and Ophis stepped from the mens changing room, each clad in black swimsuits that revealed a bit more skin than they should have. Asia and Bennia stuck with a conservative one piece while Xenovia and Ophis each wore something more revealing. Ophis didn't bother with a top at all, leaving just the four pieces of tape in a cross across her breasts while her hips were covered by a cute bottom that tied at either side of her waist.

Xenovia wore something that exposed almost the entirety of her cleavage and her hips, while still leaving enough hidden to be still considered proper.

Rias and Akeno seemed to have the same mind as Xenovia and wore something a bit more revealing than the others while Koneko wore a one piece like Asia and Bennia.

"Alright, a show of hands on who is ready for this!" Issei shouted gleefully upon the sight of so many scantily clad women, only for Koneko to scowl in his direction.

"Super perv, stop." Came the response from the young Nekoshou. Issei pretended not to notice her words and slipped into the pool easily enough, causing Akeno and Rias to join him quickly in an attempt to out sexy one another.

'That is a competition between rivals.' Minato noted while he walked to the shallow end of the pool to stick his feet in to soak. He felt a tugging on his shirt and turned his head, meeting the eyes of Koneko as she looked up at him.

"I... can't swim that well. Teach me?"

He couldn't say no to her, nor Asia and Bennia when they stated that they couldn't swim, either. "Sure, come on."

Minato slipped into the water and motioned for Koneko and Bennia to step into the water with him. "Grab on to my arms, and as I walk, kick your feet gently until you get in rhythm."

"'Kay." Was Konekos' subdued response before following his advice, gaining more and more confidence as the three walked the length of the pool. Bennia was having a bit of trouble at first but soon caught on after watching Konekos' feet under the water.

"You are... very kind." Koneko admitted as she swam off of his arm for a second, causing him to reach out and pull her back onto his arm when he noticed she wasn't going to keep floating at the rate she was swimming. "Sorry you had to help me..."

"No worries." Minato responded easily enough, "I can't imagine saying no to a request like that."

Koneko didn't say anything to that, finding her words hitching in her throat. Bennia seemed a bit upset and splashed the water a bit more than she should, causing Minato to turn his head to her. She didn't say anything, but he could tell from the look on her face that something had flustered her.

"Are you alright, Bennia?" Minato questioned, worried about the look she kept sending Koneko, who seemed to respond in kind with a heated glare of her own.

"Just. Fine." Bennia ground out, kicking her legs even harder. It seemed there was an unspoken competition between the two and soon enough, large waves of water were being splashed outwards and down the pool, interrupting the 'womanly' contest between Rias and Akeno, each competing for top spot on Isseis' Libido Chart©.

Issei seemed to zone out as he stared at the shapely rear ends of the two as they breast stroked through the water and was snapped from his reverie when a wave came crashing down on his head, let loose by Koneko.

"What the hell, Koneko!" Issei cried out, being pulled under the water. Kiba seemed alarmed and jumped into the water after his comrade, though if he was truly serious about it Minato was not sure. Kiba seems to have lightened up quite a good deal since he got his little revenge shtick dealt with, more so than even previously.

"I'm coming Issei, don't worry!"

"Get the hell off of me dude!"

"It's going to be alright, Issei! Keep your head above water!"

"You're the one trying to drown me, Kiba! Let me go! Someone help me! Irina, please!"

"Isseiiiii! Noooooo!"

'What the hell is wrong with these people?' Minato thought to himself while guiding Koneko and Bennia back to the edge of the pool and further away from the two nutcases employed as Servants under the house of Gremory.

Once the two gathered their wits and were reprimanded by Rias for interrupting their competition, Issei and Kiba went back to watching as the others swam, holding conversation between the two.

Irina seemed content to lounge in a chair to the side of the pool, catching in the sunlight now that she knew she was immune to sunburn thanks to her new found Devil nature. Xenovia sat in the seat next to her, enjoying the breeze that blew gently across the area around the pool. A drink sat on the small metal table next to her, pink and orange in color with a wedge of lemon on the rim.

'Where did she get that?' Minato thought to himself as he approached the shallow end once more.

"My turn~!" Asia sang out as she latched onto the arm that Koneko let go of while Ophis stepped into the water silently, grasping gently around the arm that Bennia released. "Swimming..."

"Yes, Ophis... Swimming." Minato affirmed as he began to slowly walk the length of the pool once more. Ophis was not attempted to swim and instead just allowed herself to hang on to his arm as he drug her through the water. Asia, however, was making an attempt and seemed to get the hand of it extremely easily, almost as if it was second nature.

"Good job, you two." He praised, causing Asia to giggle and blush slightly before sending him a large smile. "Thank you Death-Sama!"

"Yes..." Ophis did not seem to respond to the praise, and instead was lost in her own little world as Minato continued to drag her around the pool while keeping her afloat.

Minato slipped back into the pool and started to demonstrate the leg kicking motion for her once more. He had started to make good progress when a magic circle appeared to the right. Minato sighed before turning his attention to the edge of the pool where a large crimson magic circle appeared. From the magic circle stepped Sirzechs and his maid Grayfia, one clad in nothing but swimming shorts while the other maintained wearing her normal outfit.

"Now this seems like a good time." Sirzechs greeted before waving his hand to his little sister and then Minato. "Rias, Big D! Do you mind if we join you?"

"Really, big brother?" Rias called out in embarrassment, trying to hide her face with her hands almost, "Don't you have important work to be doing?"

When the other Devils motioned to get out of the pool and bow to him, he waved them off and released a soft laugh. It seems it wasn't an official visit if his outfit and body language was to go by.

She obviously didn't want Sirzechs there, and Minato almost found he agreed with the sentiment. His curiosity got the better of him, however, so he ended up addressing the man instead of focusing on trying to get Ophis to kick her legs as he drug her through the water back and forth with his arm.

"What are you doing here, Sirzechs?"

"I was actually looking for you, but you weren't home when we stopped by. Imagine my surprise, finding you hanging out with my little sister and her little posse, swimming no less! Big D, it warms my heart to see you acting so friendly!" Sirzechs seemed genuinely pleased, and his beaming smile could have blinded him if he was a normal teenager. As it was, it still pained him to look at it, so he turned his attention away from the man bearing the title Lucifer and back to the Dragon God still clinging to him listlessly.

Once she had entered the water, she seemed like an entirely new being all together, tranquil and lost in her own little world. It was obvious she was dead to all that was around her at the moment, instead finding peace with whatever thoughts flitted through her head.

Minato almost didn't want to know what she could possibly be thinking about. She seemed as stoic as ever, but her eyes had been heavy in the sense that she seemed sleepy. It reminded him of Bennia, where as Ophis was normally at least semi-alert.

"You act as if I was never friendly." Minato spoke before once again, raucous laughter rang out in the back of his head. He shrugged his shoulders when he saw Sirzechs casually tracing a scar along his chest with a finger, as if daring him to say otherwise.

"And? What do you want me for?" He questioned, pulling on the black t-shirt that clung to him due to the amount of water absorbed into the material.

"Let's talk about that later and enjoy the company for a bit, yeah?" Sirzechs fired back, pulling a drink out of thin air before popping the top off it, which Grayfia caught skillfully by holder her hand out and staring at nothing in particular as it landed in her palm. "You know you can relax, right Grayfia?"

"Nonsense. I am still on duty, as you should be." Her tone was terse when she addressed him, watching him almost disdainfully as he sipped at the alcoholic beverage. He was pretending to ignore her staring and instead began to watch as the Gremory Group went back to their game of volleyball, though the inclusion of magic in the game was having chaotic effects on the water.

Ophis seemed like she was growing upset, so Minato froze a portion of the water in the middle of the pool, creating a barrier between the two sections so that their game did not disturb the Dragon God.

"I see, is this your first time watering your dragon?" Sirzechs questioned sarcastically, flipping through a magazine that wasn't in his hands only seconds before, "I found that I have to water mine at least four times a week or they get cranky."

"..." Ophis didn't seem to hear him, causing the Devil to release a giggle at her expense before straightening his expression a bit. "Seriously though, are you teaching her to swim?"

"She followed me the entire way here, I couldn't just say no." Minato reasoned, trying to explain himself as best he could as he looked down at the small being with cascading, black hair that flowed in the water behind her, "She has promised to only attack those that attack her while she stays."

"That... that's unbelievable. You realize who she is, right? Who you are just casually dragging back and forth through the water?" Sirzechs seemed unnerved by the display, the more he watched it. In the background, Asia and Bennia had started to compete even further to the point that their coffin wings had materialized, enhancing the speed at which the two seemed to swim by large margins. The pool was thankfully large enough to contain the competition within their side while not disturbing the lulled Dragon God kicking her feet back and forth through the water vacantly.

"I know who she is. I don't know what to do, honestly." Minato admitted as he made what felt like his hundredth lap around the area, "She is enjoying herself, though... she looked like she needed it."

"After what happened to her... yeah, you're right." Sirzechs sighed and did his best to disregard the abnormality. If even he thought something was abnormal, it was beyond the realm of imagination for lesser beings. "Do you mind if Grayfia and I stop by later? I have a few things we need to talk about."

"Sure. By the way... how many times did you say I have to water my dragon? I wasn't paying attention." Minato questioned jokingly as he felt Ophis grip on to his arms a bit tighter as he picked up his speed.

Her legs kicked harder and before long he was sure she would be swimming with Asia and Bennia should she wish to do so. Trying to make light of the situation didn't set his mind at ease in the least, as far as his discomfort went.

Ophis disregarded the words and noises and continued to allow herself to drift in the water, losing herself in the wonderful feeling of liquid rushing and moving over her skin.

She liked it almost as much as she liked her silence. She wanted both, now.


	24. Son of the Night

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **24,**_ _ **Son of the Night**_

 _ **Still not quite to the fighting yet. Keep holding out, I promise I have a pretty good plan for whats coming up soon.**_

On the subject of Minatos' cult, I only have a few things to note.

Asia is a former Saint of the Church. Her faith may have changed, but she sees Minato as a savior and not a savage being who drinks blood and demands sacrifices. She knows him on a personal level and has seen him heal and help far more than kill, believe it or not. Most of the things she creates for the Cult of Thanatos, as was his original name, will be dark yet Catholic and Greek in nature.

Asia has specifically set the cult up in a way that represents how SHE sees Death, not how others around the world see him. If she had never met Death and only made assumptions on him due to his innate nature as the deliverer of souls, then it would end up bloody and sacrificial like so many others.

Death in Greece, namely Thanatos, was viewed as a savage being who was hated and hated back, while later was known as a gentle Death, who only came kindly instead of by sword. [Hats off to you, Marijuana, you guessed it.]

Asia knows him as the kind, compassionate, protective and healing Death, not to mention the avenging Death. The funny thing about Gods and Goddesses is that their domains are known to shift and change throughout the ages. Who is to say that Minato is not subject to that as well?

I had an idea for the vampire faction, but I scrapped it. I'm sure you can guess what it was I wanted to do, and just why I scrapped it.

Also, Ophish. Ophis + Fish

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

"You want to what?" Minato questioned out as he leaned back in his chair a bit further, staring at Sirzechs as if he had grown a second head, "Why would I accept this?"

"Come on, please?"

"No, absolutely not." Minato responded with fire in his voice, "You will sew the seeds of discord within my home, and I won't stand for it."

"I'll do no such thing!" Sirzechs responded just as hotly, a massive pout on his face as he stared at his blue haired companion, "My baby sister won't let us crash at her place and it's too late to get a good hotel room now!"

Minato sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head slowly as if he was dealing with a child.

The sound of crunching broke the silence, and Minato turned to look at the being who made the noise. Ophis stared back at him with a completely blank but intense face, chewing on the cookie slowly before swallowing and taking another bite.

"Why not. I have a few rooms you can pick from, I suppose." Minato eventually relented, causing the crimson haired Devil King to release a cheer, "Yes! We can have a sleep over! It'll be like old times!"

"Sure, and we can roast marsh mellows and drink while talking about our dreams." Minato mumbled out while looking at Grayfia almost distrustfully when he saw the hopeful look in her eyes. It only appeared when he mentioned the alcoholic drink, and that was a sign that she had a hidden quirk that she skillfully hid away.

Sirzechs gasped before clapping his hands together rapidly, "Really?! Thi-"

"No."

Sirzechs looked at the ground in disappointment while Grayfia had the smallest tilt downwards to her lips. 'I was right about her. What a shame.'

"Okay, okay, fine. I think I know of a place we can use, actually." Minato, once again, was forced to relent at the sight of a grown Devil about to cry like a little girl, not to mention his maid and the quivering of her red lips, "I was joking about the drinking, however. You'll have to pick out your drinks from the bar or provide them yourselves."

"Marsh mellow..."

"Yes, Ophis. You may have a marsh mellow." Minato was feeling his grip on his sanity slowly, oh so slowly, slipping away as the days ticked away. Dealing with the quirks of the supernatural were causing the development of his own. "As many as you want."

'This nightmare just keeps better.'

 **[EX]**

After checking with Asia and Bennia first, Minato led Sirzechs, Grayfia and Ophis through the shadowy, elevator-like doorway that appeared on his wall, allowing them passage directly from his home to the woods.

"That is a nifty piece of magic." Sirzechs noted as they stepped from the doorway into the clearing dedicated to Minato. The crystal shards of the scythe now wielded by Bennia had acted as if they were seeds, blooming flowers and plants usually seen in the forest Indieglut Lugh, leaving the landscape to further convert itself to something that did not belong on the surface world. "Ah, wow. I haven't seen flowers like these in a long time."

Sirzechs stared out at the landscape and felt as if he were still young, fighting in the Great War as a lieutenant in Lucifers Army. Many nights he would sit around a campfire with nothing but the light of the fire and the reflections of the flowers on the walls to see.

The butterflies still fluttered and danced around the clearing while pale blue moonlight appeared through the translucent vines acting as a canopy. The basin was still smoking, reminding Sirzechs of the smells he associated with the past.

Grayfia, too, was studying the clearing to the best of her ability, finding it to be quite a sight to see on the surface. She had never wandered into the Land of the Dead, nor knew of anything that would be associated with the realm outside of the names of different domains there.

The little flowers that looked to be carved instead of naturally growing waved and bent as if they were made of plant matter, but when plucked, would then act as if stone. It was curious to her, and the more she studied the plants and flowers, the more fascinated in them she became.

"They are beautiful." Grayfia noted, sending a bit of her energy into the flower to see if it would react. Instead of having a violent reaction, however, the flowers began to glow an icy blue, the same shade as her own Devil power.

"Indeed," Minato agreed while moving to the right side of the clearing, where a small adjunct area was already cleaned of debris. "I think I want to contain the area from spreading further, though."

Gathering the firewood was shared between the three as Ophis followed after Minato, watching his every move like a hawk. She didn't seem to mind the noises as much now that she knew she could return to her silence whenever she wished.

Soon, a single log was placed before the fire, and the four were skewing marsh mellows to the edge of their sticks and placing them near the fire to brown. Minato tried to show Ophis how to do it properly, but hers kept sliding off and falling in the fire, causing the Dragon God to grow upset. Wanting to avoid having an angry God destroy the clearing he was sitting in, he decided to just do it for her.

That seemed to please the petite being and the peace was maintained.

"So what is this really about?" Minato wondered aloud, one of his hands holding his head while resting on his knee while the other held his stick and two marsh mellows.

"I have a formal request to make of you. Azazel does, as well. We want to form an alliance with Heaven and your faction." Sirzechs admitted after slamming back a shot of whiskey. Grayfia poured him another and ate her treat skillfully, not staining the object with her lipstick nor smearing it.

"I see. This has to do with Azrael and Hades." Minato noted while handing the stick to Ophis, who stared at the treats on the end in harsh judgment and scrutiny before plucking one off with her mouth. She seemed to freeze for a moment before glancing at Minato quickly before doing the same to his and handing the stick back without a shred of guilt for what she did.

She opened her mouth to say something but found that the sticky substances prevented her from speaking successfully. Instead, she just stared into space as the sugary treats broke down in her mouth and stomach, as if some great revelation had been had. Her slit pupils widened outwards and it seemed a small drop of drool made its way from the corner of her mouth.

"You guessed it. We wish to unite our sections of the Underworld, even if Heaven isn't willing to join a non-aggression pact. Michael is a very hard man to get a hold of, honestly. It took Azazel three months of nonstop calling his phone to get him to pick up." Sirzechs complained before dipping his marsh mellow in his beverage and eating it, a troubled expression on his face as he thoughtfully chewed on the fluffy and now intoxicating sweet.

Minato did not say anything for a good few minutes, instead focusing on keeping Ophis satisfied with the marsh mellows, snagging one for himself before handing the stick back to her. "What would this entail?"

"Well... an agreement not to fight one another, communication between You, me, Azazel and Michael, prisoner exchange, access to each others information networks, things of that nature, really." Sirzechs listed off, "I know what you are about to say, but despite being one of the smallest factions right now, your little group holds quite a bit of fire power between yourself and your little friend there. A lot of Gods and Goddesses have been watching you from the side lines now, and the only thing that has kept them from approaching you is because of your recent addition, and the fact they don't know what to make of you."

"You mean Ophis? She is not a member of my faction, so to speak, just a... resident." Minato affirmed, though Ophis made no move to deny the words of Sirzechs, either having not heard them or agreeing with them. Or it could be because she was still smacking her mouth as if confused by the taste or texture of the melted marsh mellow.

"She isn't denying it." Sirzechs noted, as if it were the end of the argument, "Besides, how do you think it looks on the outside looking in? Want to know what I see? Two ancient beings with the possibility of a third in the form of your mother. That is Night, Death and Infinity, three of the strongest beings working together, practically a new Pantheon. You may be young in mind now, perhaps, but you are still a Chthonian God. I would much rather have you on my side than not. I don't care if you don't have massive numbers, or populations, or infrastructure or even money. You have Power, as far as the world is concerned, and Power is what makes the world go round. I will make it worth your while, if it is money, or political clout, or anything else you may require."

Sirzechs was serious for a change, at least as far as the talks were concerned, and Minato found himself agreeing with the sentiment. This was... not something he wanted to consider, preferring to remain as neutral as he could, but it seemed that past connections and current ones were preventing that from continuing.

Should he accept the alliance, that would mean his own faction would help be the backbone of the growth of the Abrahamic three. Angels, Fallen and Devil would call him an ally and friend. That could be both a boon and a curse. The Youkai might not seek to remain peaceful with him should he ally with the Devils, while he would become a target of the Egyptians if he ever made it to that portion of the world or they his.

"This... is an awful lot to consider." Minato murmured out as he once more received the stick from Ophis, placing more of the fluffy treats on its branches and holding it near the flame. "I would basically be the mad dog you point at your opponent?"

"Nothing of the sort. You would be an equal, of course. You might even get a position in Devil society should you wish it." Sirzechs goaded gently, trying his best to get Minato to agree, even if it was an unofficial agreement until the peace conference actually took place, "I just want you to seriously consider it, the conference has been agreed upon for two days from now. Hades is no joke, and it is going to take a lot of us working together to take him down. He has powerful minions, and when he has already started to push outwards from the Land of the Dead aggressively..."

Sirzechs needn't say more, Minato understood loud and clear. "I think I can bring a few players to the field if it comes down to it... none on the same level as Ophis here, but I can think of a few slightly weaker beings..."

"You have the original Lucifer as your damn butler, you mean you have others you can call on as well?" Sirzechs was incredulous, and Grayfia perked up and gained a certain gleam in her eyes upon hearing the admission. It was almost as if it were a secret code word, because she turned mechanically to stare at Minato, who noticed out of the corner of his eyes the actions of the woman.

"I wouldn't call him a butler, per say." Minato tried to deflect as best as he could, "He doesn't cook or clean or anything of the sort. He just... kills things for me."

Grayfia was giving him a very, very strange look that he wasn't sure he liked.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter what he does or doesn't. You can just," Sirzechs clapped his hands to emphasize the noise, "Pop, summon the damn Devil I hold the seat of. He hung off of you like an exotic pet, for goodness sakes, one that you tamed and raised since it was a mere infant! It was one of the most beautiful displays of strength I've seen in a while! And now you are telling me you have more! Come on, you can finally have that peace you wanted if we can kick Hades into that little pit Momma seems to like so much!"

Minato nodded his head in agreement with the statement, knowing that Sirzechs was right. Hades would come for him eventually, and it was better to stand united with those who he threatened than to allow them to fall one by one. He didn't want to see the Devils or Fallen get destroyed by Hades, some of his only friends were Devils, and Azazel wasn't so bad.

The Angels would get blanket protection from joining the alliance, should they do so. If they proved to be friendly, then all the better. Minato also didn't want to end up having an old God on steroids coming after him without some form of back up, should he truly prove to be as frightening as Sirzechs was making him out to be. It was hard for Minato to grasp the concept of strength in this world, still remembering the power that threatened to destroy his world with a single attack.

He absentmindedly handed Ophis back the stick and allowed her to devour the many different puffy snacks with single minded determination, although her actions were extremely sluggish and done without focus. Her gaze hadn't moved from its position and by this point, her pupils had stretched to ridiculous widths. If she wasn't a Dragon God, Minato would almost be worried for her health. Her expression was still blank, but she had yet to turn and continue judging him for everything he did, so it was a welcome distraction.

"Alright, I shall attend." Minato assented to attend the event, "It will be hosted at the academy?"

"You guessed it. Thanks, Minato..." Sirzechs actually used his name instead of a nickname or title, or even his previous name. It was progress, in Minatos' opinion.

They all fell into silence afterwards, enjoying the company for quite a few hours.

 **[EX]**

The next morning, Xenovia, Asia and Bennia went to school ahead of him while he tried to bribe Ophis to stay home and allow him to attend school without her following him. It took him a few minutes before he compromised with her.

He would provide her with a giant bag of marsh mellows and a large body of water in her room for her to float around in after school, and she would stay home in her room until then. She gave him a look that was almost mean, but she eventually relented and walked away from him, but not before stopping and glancing back at him every few steps, as if debating on whether she wanted to stop watching him before she finally disappeared from his room.

'What an odd girl...being?' Minato questioned, knowing of Ophis and her once appearing as an elderly man from a story Azazel told him during their reunion at the bar. He didn't know what to think of it, so he tried not to. It made him less uncomfortable to not think about it, rather.

'Memory spells, can't keep forgetting.' Minato sternly reminded himself, knowing that he would most likely forget again due to the rather chaotic nature his life had taken on since his awakening in Kuoh.

He made it to school not long after, only to find quite a few middle age folks of all shapes and sizes mulling about, trying their best to embarrass who Minato assumed were their children. As he pushed through the crowds, he noticed that even Rias was subjected to the same, Zeoticus Gremory standing proudly before his daughter with his chest puffed out as if he won some great prize. Sirzechs stood not far behind, along with two middle aged folk with brown hair. The male wore a pair of glasses and seemed kind of scraggly while the woman was better kept.

'Those are Isseis' parents, if I had to guess.' Minato saw the resemblance immediately, though it seemed only to be physical as they both were humble in their stance. 'Good, humble looking people.'

Issei didn't seem displeased to see his parents, just embarrassed. It was only natural, when his father continued to confess that he had no idea his son had become so popular with such wealthy looking people.

Minato was going to ignore them all when he saw her. It was like his world started to move in slow motion and Minato felt his heart leap to his throat. Panic came and went in a second, as did fear, and in its place was a cool depth that he couldn't begin to fathom.

"Hello, my son!"

"Hello... Mother." Minato greeted slowly and unsurely. He did not want to address the woman, not in any such fashion, but he knew that it would be a bad decision to make. She was undeniably strong, but it was not quite the immense, overwhelming strength that threatened to destroy the world. It was far more tame, and restrained, but still enough to tip him off that she was not someone he wanted to set off while he was standing in class.

"You are doing very well for yourself, I see." Nyx seemed amused with how she addressed him, stepping forward to tap his nose with one of her fingers, "But you didn't come home first! I've been watching you, you know. Waiting."

"I... did not." Minato murmured, looking around at the gathered figures and the fact that they all seemed so nonplussed with the fact that the Goddess of Night was standing in such close proximity. Then again, Sirzechs was familiar with the woman enough so to call her Momma himself at her behest. "I was not aware of..."

"I know." She confessed as she stepped back, and Minato did his best to commit her image to his memory. Her hair reached long past her waist, almost touching the floor in its length. It was as black as her dress, almost absorbing the light with its umbrageous color. Black spikes of hair spread out from the top of her bangs, which swooped low and covered her left eye completely before blending back in with her hair.

Upon her head was what seemed to be a ceremonial hair pin that fanned out like feathers, though it was not large in size. It had a single purple jewel in the middle of it and the metal pieces were a pallid silver. Her face and the shape of her eyes were so much like his own that he could not deny the resemblance, though hers was far more regal and feminine in appearance.

Her eye color was what threw Minato off a bit, as they would shift from deep purple to black, and then to star burst orange and then red, followed by multiple other dark shades of color. It was as if he were looking into the night sky itself, fitting of her domain.

Nyx wore a dress that dipped low, almost to her navel, revealing her cleavage and some curves, while tapering off before revealing too much of anything. It's length reached the ground and seemed to be held up with two different hooks that attached to her belt, preventing the black fabric from dragging the ground. Purple sandals that seem to be held on her feet by intertwined ribbons, keeping the exposed flesh from touching the ground. Black gloves covered her hands and stretched to her biceps, each decorated with various fabric shaped like a nightshade. A silver broach with a large amethyst gem hung around her neck, resting just above her exposed cleavage.

She had a body that Minato could compare to Kuroka in shape, though Nyx was a good bit taller than Minato, almost to the point she was the tallest person she saw in the room. 'Around six foot five?' Minato guessed, trying to estimate her height compared to his own, finding her taller than Sirzechs by a few inches as well.

"I'm sorry." Minato tried to get out, though it didn't seem like it mattered to the woman, who looked at him as if he were a lighthouse on a stormy shore after being stranded at sea for a week.

"It does not matter. You are here now, and that does." Nyx was giving him a watery look, and Minato knew what was about to happen. It was like slow motion, and he felt his heart leap from his stomach to his lower extremities.

Nyx reached out, wrapped her arms around the back of his head and pulled his face into her bust, burying his face in her bosom. "I have my baby boy back, and he is so much nicer than before! Don't worry, momma is here now and she gets to take care of you this time!"

Minato couldn't breath, or speak to complain about his attempted suffocation, being held in the embrace until he was sure he was going to pass out. Whether it was from embarrassment or lack of oxygen, he wasn't sure.

When he was finally released, he had to turn his face to hide the blush and glanced at Sirzechs from the corner of his eye. He seemed extremely amused by the interaction between Nyx and Minato.

'This is his fault, I just know it. He sewed the seeds of Discord, and he will reap what he sews. Bennia has been itching to try out her newest creations and I have just... the... target.' Minato thought to himself, feeling that it was time to allot some... Divine Retribution, so to speak, of his own.

"Come, dear, show your mother to your human classes!" Nyx called out and began to drag Minato away by the hand, though in the completely wrong direction.

Minato was very late for class, to the point that it was already second period by the time he could redirect them into the correct portion of the building.

It was during his shared art class that he came across the rest of his group, as well as Issei and his antics. They were instructed to create something that meant the world to him, and Minato only had an hour to do so.

Most of the time was spent thinking on the fact that Nyx seemed to be ogling Asia and Xenovia as much as she was him, bouncing between the three excitedly as she watched them work. It was absentmindedly that he worked, kneading his energy into the clay as he did so.

"Senpai, wow!" Came the astonished voice of Issei, who watched as multiple figures were carved from the large block of clay and given lifelike forms, to the point Issei thought a few would start moving.

Around fifteen figures surrounded a central being, and each one was completely different that the others.

A young, spunky looking woman with short hair was reaching towards a figure with cascading hair that covered the left portion of her face. A short haired man was posing with a jacket slung over his shoulder, giving what seemed to be a thumbs up towards a trench coat wearing figure with a young boy on his shoulders.

A small dog was seated next to the trench coat wearing figure with the beanie cap, and next to the dog was a baseball cap wearing teenager with what seemed to be a baseball bat in his hands. Another short haired girl stood close by the baseball bat wielder with a frying pan in her hand. A robotic looking female stood next to what were the last two figures of the group, a young man with a long scarf and a little boy clutching his leg. Each of the standing figures formed a half circle around a halfway incomplete Minato.

The other figures were those of Koneko with a puzzle piece in one hand, kneeling down to pet a two tailed cat on the head, as well as Issei with Rias and Akeno on either side of him. Kiba stood not far from Issei, while Sona, Saji and Tsubaki stood by his side as well. Asia stood close to the incomplete Minato and seemed to be placing what looked like a puzzle piece on his back, as if she were helping put him back together. Bennia and Xenovia were carved from the clay as were the others, standing on either side of Asia while Ophis stood next to Minato, staring at him judgmentally. The last figures to be carved were Sirzechs, Azazel and finally the woman that called him her son, Nyx.

He might not have known her now, but he knew at one point, she must have meant the world to him. He wouldn't have ripped Heaven in half, should she have not.

Minato had always been good with the various forms of art he tried his hands at, almost as if they came naturally to him, like a dormant skill that he was only just relearning. It certainly showed in the work he created, and Asia felt like she was going to burst with elation upon seeing what she considered a religious revelation. She pulled out her phone and began to take pictures of the many different figures, along with Xenovia.

Xenovia was moved that she was considered precious enough to be sculpted by whom she had grown to truly appreciate, not only as her Lord, but as a person to rely upon. She slapped her hands into a clasped position and offered a prayer of thanks, which Minato returned with a small sliver of energy coming through the link and surrounding her in a halo.

The two were not expecting him to create such a detailed piece, while Issei was still trying to hide the nude form of Rias Gremory he carved from the students who wanted to purchase it off of him.

Nyx stood with a grand smile on her face, watching her sons two servants showed him their own carvings. It was obvious he had grown fond of those around him, especially so if he could create such pieces of artwork with his mind wandering as it was. She may have been the last figure to have been carved, but she knew that meant he was still willing to get to know her again.

She didn't want to be alone, not anymore. If that meant she had to leave Tartarus to live on the surface, then she would do so. No one was going to stand between her and her most loyal son, not when she just got him back after so, so long.


	25. Long Nights

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **2**_ _ **5,**_ _ **Long Nights**_

 _I heard a song on youtube called Anubis. The picture used for the song really inspired how I wanted to design one of the Egyptian Goddesses, a gender bent one as a matter of fact. Wink Wink, Nudge Nudge._

 _Actually, two of them, because a cute Ramses with sub woofer cat ears on her head sounds wonderful. I don't want to put either of them in too soon, as I am still trying to establish a good dynamic within the chaotic household of Minatos._

 _The grammatical question posed by Cannabis is the Issei's and the Isseis' thing. Issei's breaks down to Issei and Is placed into one word, mean Issei's going to the store/ Issei is going to the store. The Isseis' shows possession, I think? Like Isseis' parents is supposed to show that they are parents of Issei._

 _It has been a long, long time since I've been in an English class, and I have yet to go to college. I need to brush up, apparently. Sorry for the errors, I will slowly but surely comb over them and fix them._

 _I just wanted to post another short chapter dealing with Nyx before the end of the night. Next chapter will be about Gasper, and then we can get the fun stuff started as far as other pantheons and fighting is concerned._

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Nyx had followed him home from school with Asia, Bennia and Xenovia close by, the tall figure of the Mother of Night dwarfing those she walked with. Many different people had to stop and stare, yet she did not deign them with the same. More than once, men would drop their possessions held in their hands as well as their jaws when they saw her, and she seemed to ignore it all.

Instead, she was acting like a doting mother, talking to the four others about anything and everything she could think of while not really answering any question asked of her.

"So this is your home? It is rather... small, don't you think?" Nyx questioned while tapping at her lips with her index finger thoughtfully, her eyes appearing half lidded and her body language was relaxed. She was imaging something, and Minato was not sure he was going to like what she was going to do.

"I'll just have to fix it~!"

"Please, don't..." Minato murmured out while guiding the four into the building, allowing the girls to drop off their belongings before getting changed from their school uniforms. Minato was of the same mind, if not for the promise that he made Ophis, which obviously took priority.

"I must! This tower is so tiny! Even the basement of my home is larger than this entire space!" Nyx was not going to take no for an answer, it seems, "And I will not live in something so... miniscule."

"I like my home." Minato frowned, looking up from his phone after texting Azazel and telling him to stop by as soon as he could, "I can hardly navigate it as it is... Mother."

"Please, just call me Momma, won't you!" Nyx bemoaned, "Mother makes me feel so... old!"

"Momma, then." Minato ground out through clenched teeth, having to force the words from his mouth. As endearing as the woman was, he did not want her coming into his life and taking it over, that would leave a terrible taste in his mouth. He had been alone since... well, he was alone from his assumed age of ten to around seventeen, so seven years of independence that he could remember would be hard to just throw away. "This is where I and those that serve me live. Please, I do not want something extremely flashy, this is fine as it is."

"Hmmm~!" Nyx crossed her arms below her ample breasts and pushed them up, tapping her nails against her gloves rhythmically, "Fine, you win. Show me around?"

"Of course." Minato sighed, figuring that he could at least do so while he waited for Azazel to show up, "Follow me."

It took just an hour for the Fallen Governor General to show up, and by that time he was wrapping up the tour of his home.

"Momma, Big D! Just the two I wanted to see!" Azazel called out as he stepped through the door leading to Minatos' office, where Minato was going through some of the letters and missives he received from quite a few different people, one of them even claiming to be the leader of the Youkai. He placed that letter aside for special perusal later before turning his attention to Azazel, who was grinning while leaning in the doorway.

"I need to make another change to Ophis' room and you are the only one I can call for such a thing." Minato admitted while giving the man another set of blueprints, something he was able to create in almost no time at all after asking the girl what she really wanted.

"So you just want the floor lowered a few feet, her bed platform raised, a standing platform from the elevator area and a lot of water added for her?" Azazel questioned while scratching at his chin for a moment, "That won't be hard at all. Why does she want water?"

"She really likes 'Swimming', which entails her holding on to my arm while I drag her through the water." Minato was uncomfortable with the admission, as if he were guilty of some great sin. The look Azazel gave him was why he felt uncomfortable. It was a look of disbelief until Minato showed him a picture on his phone, one that Xenovia took of him pulling the girl through the water.

"You've got to be shitting me." Azazel murmured out in wonderment, staring at the picture as if it held the answers to life, "You really did it, didn't you?"

"Did what?" Minato questioned curiously, not liking the tone of voice Azazel had in the least.

"You got her to join your little Harem, of course!" Azazel cheered, as if he had hared the greatest news in the world, "I knew you had it in you!"

"No, no, you have-"

"You started a Harem?" Nyx clasped her hand over her mouth for a moment before a look of supreme elation appeared on her face, "That means lots and lots of grand babies for me to spoil! Oh, I can see it now! You are the greatest son a mother could ask for!"

Minato dropped his head into his hands and clutched at his hair, wishing he could be anywhere but where he was.

"Did someone say... Harem?" Came a seductive voice from the doorway, and Kuroka deposited herself into the room after moving Azazel to the side, "Are you finally going to give me kittens?" She seemed so hopeful that Minato felt bad for having to deny her.

"No-"

"YES! Yes he is!" Nyx shouted over him while clasping her hand over his mouth while wrapping her other hand around his chest. She rested her chin on his head and stared at Kuroka judgingly, "You will give me beautiful grandchildren. I approve."

"No, no, no. No. No no." Came the firm response of Minato, very well spoken and capable of getting his point across. It was probably the most eloquent speech he had ever given.

"Oh, but your momma says yes! That means I am this much closer to having my kittens." Kuroka held her hands widely apart, as if she were telling a fisherman story about her catch of the day, "And then, we can get Shirone to join in on our fun, and-"

"Wow. You know what, as much as I like the sound of all of this, I have work to do. See ya, Big D! Let me know when you don't have your hands full, I want to have another drink with ya'!" Azazel seemed quick to dismiss himself from the room, and Minato longed to do the same. Nyx had lifted her head and rested her bosom against his back while Kuroka kept getting closer and closer to the point that she was crawling over his desk on all fours.

Minato was sure he was going to be violated and allowed himself to sink into the floor and disappear, only to reappear nine floors down, right from the ceiling of Ophis' room.

He fell from the roof for quite a few feet before splashing down into the newly renovated room. Minato silently thanked his luck that he happened to leave his phone on his bed after frantically checking his pockets, not to mention his wallet containing most of his identifications and bank cards.

'Azazel works too quick.' Minato thought with a frown as Ophis slowly doggy paddled up to him, a small glare directed at him for splashing her, despite the fact she was already wet.

He opened his mouth to say something, only to get splashed in the face by Ophis, who then began to doggy paddle away slowly, no longer angry looking in the least.

 **[EX]**

"I'm so sorry!" Nyx cried out as she pulled Minato into her embrace the moment he stepped off of the elevator to the fifth floor, his face once more buried in her chest. "I didn't want to make you run away! I can wait to have grandchildren, I promise! Not too long, though..."

She trailed off and glanced to the left while her voice got small, letting him know that it would only be a temporary reprieve until the woman once more began to push him into copulating. He was too young to have children, or intimate relationships for that matter, at least currently. In a few years, if he survived, he was sure he wouldn't mind having children of his own, but that was...

Minato hid the frown on his face as he thought of the upcoming conference and subsequently, the eventual confrontation with Hades and those associated with him. If he survived that encounter, which he knew he would, then he had another being to face down, one he was no closer to locating than the first day he arrived in Kuoh. Neither Sirzechs nor Azazel seemed to know a thing about the location of the 'End of the World'. He was brought from his musings by finally being released from the motherly smothering and held by his face by the Goddess.

"You are soaking wet, as well! Let's get you out of those clothes and into a nice, warm bath!"

"No, no. I can do that myself." Minato finally admitted after wiping the astonished look off of his face, "Please. I am capable of taking care of my own personal health and hygiene... momma."

Nyx pouted before crossing her arms under her chest again, leaning forward to look him in the eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure I am capable of cleaning my own body. I promise." Minato tried to keep the sarcasm from his voice, he really did, but the pout on her face grew even more prominent than before. "Sorry... yes, I can clean myself."

"Fine, I will just go speak with your Servants while you bathe, then." Nyx sighed as if she were burdened to do so before turning on her heel and walking away slowly, as if expecting him to call out to her and ask her to stop. When he did not motion to do so, she huffed and picked up her speed before disappearing around the corner, causing Minato to release a sigh of relief before walking into his main room.

'This is getting out of hand and quick.' Minato thought to himself with a frown as he bypassed the shower and headed straight for the large bath, having stripped of his clothes and secured a towel around his waist the moment he entered the bathroom.

When the very large tub was filled with steaming water, he sank into its depths with a towel folded atop his head, allowing the liquid to reach his chin as he relaxed.

He was only in the water for a few moments when Kuroka walked into the bathroom and sealed the door shut behind her, not to mention casting a light spell that hung from the ceiling that disrupted his connection with the shadows he used to fast travel between locations.

"Momma said you needed someone to wash your back! Asia and Bennia are too shy to do it, while Xenovia was already bathing, so here I am, Nyaa~!" Kuroka seemed awfully pleased when she spoke, and Minato could do nothing but sink further into the tub and wish it all away. His wishing did not come true as he felt her slink into the water and pull him upwards before spinning him around.

"Kuroka-" Minato started to warn her, only for her to place a finger on his lips.

"Relax, I'm not going to violate you. Hell, I'm actually wearing that cute bathing bottom you tried to get rid of~!" Kuroka whispered in his ear while pulling him backwards onto the ledge a few feet under the water, almost placing him in her lap as she got a better angle on his body.

"You are just lucky you chose the bath and not the shower, Nyaa~!"

'I'm not lucky at all.' Minato thought to himself almost bitterly.

 **[EX]**

"Issei, what's wrong?" Came the sleepy voice of Rias Gremory as she rolled over, finding the brown haired Devil sitting on the edge of his bed with both of his hands clenched around his head. "Are you okay?"

"No. No I'm not okay. Someone out there, somewhere, is getting the ultimate boobage bonanaza, and he isn't appreciating it! I can feel it from here! The ungrateful sonuva bitch!"

Rias sighed and laid her head back on the bed heavily, pondering her decision to become as involved with the Devil she reincarnated as she had. She could have tried to go after Minato like her precious Rook Koneko, but Issei was just so much more... fun, in a way, to tease.

'Too late for that, now.' Rias thought to herself fondly as Issei laid back down grumbling about how he bet it was his Senpai being the oppai stealing bastard that he was. 'I care about this pervert too much to go back.'

 **[EX]**

Minato was laying in bed, a severe frown on his face as he felt a weight settle onto his bed. Turning his head, he was greeted by the sight of Asia, who held a pillow clutched to her chest tightly. She had a small frown on her face, and when she finally spoke, he understood why.

"I can't sleep..." She trailed off sadly, "I keep having bad dreams... I... I think something terrible is going to happen soon."

"Do you want to talk about it...?" Minato questioned slowly, rolling over and propping his head up while the blanket covering his chest slipped downwards, showing many different scars to almost glint in the moonlight as she felt her eyes trace their paths.

Many of them seemed to be nearly fatal, but she knew he was not made of porcelain. Asia could tell that her Lord had stared into the abyss defiantly, especially due to the haunted look that would overcome him, something he tried so hard to hide. He was hurting inside, and she could tell that some wounds had lingered, scarring his heart as they did his body.

Asia wanted to help heal those wounds he hid away from the world, and she knew it would take more than just herself to do so. Bennia had expressed interest in the same train of thoughts, and the Priestess was sure others shared the sentiment, especially considering the competition between Koneko and Bennia the previous day. Nyx, whom Asia had met just today, had expressed interest in getting her son to open up, as she, too, could tell that some phantasmal pain clouded his mind, even from their short time getting to know each other once more.

She wore nothing but a black night gown that rode high on her thighs and her panties to sleep in, and if Minato was a lesser man, he would have been drooling at the sight. Instead, he appreciated the beautiful sight for what it was and didn't allow his libido to control his actions or words.

"Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?" Asia seemed almost pained to ask, so when Minato agreed and held the blanket up for her to slip in, she quickly did so and snuggled deeply into him, cuddling her pillow underneath her head as she did so. "Thank you, Death-Sama..."

Asia trailed off her words and seemed to drift off to sleep almost instantly, snoring softly as she drifted into the realm of Hypnos. Minato smiled lightly before rolling back into his previous position of staring at the ceiling, this time without a frown on his face. 'It's not all that bad, I suppose.' He thought to himself while his eyes began to shut heavily.

'I hope Asias' dreams aren't an omen...'


	26. Your Number One Fan

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **2**_ _ **6,**_ _ **Your Number One Fan**_

 _I am so glad to reach 100k, finally. Woo!_

 _Thank you all for the wonderful reviews!_

 _I have a wicked, wicked plan for Lucifer, now that I have had time to expound the base of power. Quite a few fans of a certain manga will like the scenes I have planned._

Some guy paragon, I can neither confirm nor deny your statement. Maybe you're right. Maybe you're not.

I have plans for Asia and Bennia to gain familiars. I wanted Asia to get a different type of mini dragon while I have absolutely no clue for Bennia. Minato doesn't really need a familiar, I don't think, considering he can just summon quite a few different powerful beings. As a matter of fact, I need one for Xenovia as well! Give me some ideas you lovely people, you!

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

"What do you need my help for, again?" Minato questioned while pulling his right earphone off of his ear, ignoring the annoyed face Rias was giving him at being completely unnoticed for the past five minutes.

"If you were actually listening, you would know." Rias grumbled lowly, crossing her arms over her chest before sighing heavily, "Look, my Bishop is a big fan of yours and operates a... fan site of yours. I agreed with him I would get you to meet with him if he promised to come out of his room and try to participate with my Peerage. Big Brother thinks its time to unseal him, and I can't just say no, despite how bad of an idea I think it is..."

"And you only tell me at the last moment?" Minato questioned with wry amusement upon seeing the blushing face of Rias as his response. She was busy with her brother and father hanging around for the past few days, and Minato felt that he would be having the same problems now that his own parent has decided to take residence in his home.

"It slipped my mind..." Rias grumbled out while digging her toes into the tiles a bit bashfully, "Issei has been a handful, and its hard keeping Irina and Akeno off of him long enough for me to enjoy time with him. Having my father and brother barge in..."

"I can understand an overbearing parent. I have a meeting in an hour with Sirzechs, so I have a bit of time."

"So you will help me?" Rias asked hopefully, prepared to break the seal on the door should he prove willing. "I can make it worth your time."

"I don't even want to know what you are going to offer me. Keep it." Minato was quick to turn down the offer of payment, knowing that the scheming look Rias was sending him meant him no good. "I will help, only because I am curious about this... fan site."

Rias snapped her fingers, and a crimson magic circle floated before the door before splitting in half then shattering, leaving the magic to linger in the air around the empty portion of the school.

"The seal is broken. Let's go inside." Rias tried to hurry along the meeting, as if she had other things to attend do for the day. Minato was not privy to her schedule, nor found himself caring, for that matter. He was only here because someone, somehow, was operating a fan site dedicated to him and he wanted to know where they got their information.

"Gasper, I brought him like I promised!" Rias called out into the dark, and a squeal that could have been from excitement or embarrassment rang out. "I'm going to turn on the lights now."

Rias did so, and Minato came face to face with a completely empty room, save for a box near a computer that seemed to quiver every so often.

"Your Bishop is a box?" Minato questioned, pointing to the object in some fascination and the other morbid curiosity, "And you claim this box is... running my fan site?"

"You... no, no he is not the box, he's IN the box." Rias groaned, causing Minato to let out a small 'Oh' before shrugging his shoulders.

"With the things I've seen, you can never be certain." Minato defended before striding forward to the quivering box and peeking inside. "Hello. Rias says you wished to meet me?"

"You... You're really here! I thought she was just messing with me! Wow!" The voice still hiding in the dark stuttered out, before letting out another cry of terror, "I-I-I..."

A wave of energy washed over the room, and Minato was greeted with the sight of a petite blond rising from the box and attempting to run away. "Hey, where are you going?" Minato questioned curiously as the blond stopped dead in their tracks to turn and slowly face him.

"You... you aren't frozen?" Gasper slowly questioned in wonder before he slowly began to approach Minato as if he would disappear, "My power... doesn't work on you?"

"You froze time?" Minato questioned incredulously as he looked over at Rias, who was covered in a purple aura while remaining completely still, no longer breathing. The room was also covered in the same type of aura, leaving only Minato and Gasper as the only two not effected by the Sacred Gear. "That is a very handy skill. I admit, I'm jealous." He admitted while poking Rias on the cheek a few times, finding that he could still cause her flesh to recede and return to normal, despite the fact that she was frozen.

This ability would have allowed him to avoid the ridiculous situations he found himself in. It was almost unfair, knowing that such a skill existed yet remained out of his reach.

"T-thank you! No... no one has ever... called my ability handy!" Gasper seemed like he was going to break down in tears, but Minato placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head to stop the waterworks. "Do you mean it?"

"Of course I mean it. You wouldn't believe the types of situations I find myself in... you have a hard time controlling your power... correct? That is why you were sealed away?" Minato questioned as he walked to the computer that Gasper usually sat at, allowing his eyes to travel along the website being maintained by the young Dhamphir.

"Yes..." Gasper admitted while slowly following after Minato, "I keep freezing people, and... and..." He trailed off and once more looked like he was about to cry, something Minato was beginning to think he would do a lot.

"Well I am not frozen. Rias mentioned that you ran a website dedicated to me?" Minato did his best to deflect away from the questions that seemed to upset Gasper, instead steering the topic of discussion into less stormy waters.

"I do! I saw a grainy picture of your shadow form and it was like I was looking in a mirror, but you could control it! You are so... I... I never thought I would meet you!"

"Oh?" Minato was curious as to how he even knew of him, though he figured it was through his King, "I'm curious as to how you even know about me, honestly."

"How could I NOT know about you! You are all over the Devil-net! I'm, like-" Gasper seemed to forget his shyness for a moment and leaned over the back of the chair Minato was sitting in, easily clicking away at the keys of his computer for a moment before showing Minato the rest of the site he ran. "Your number one fan!"

There were videos of his fight with Pluto and Azrael from two different angles, as well as a video taken of... his karaoke night with the Devils. 'Bennia, Azazel and Issei did this...' Minato growled to himself, knowing that his Left Hand, 'old' friend and student were responsible for the different videos, though the karaoke video seemed to have been recorded by Aika and not the Grim Reaper. Regardless, those three were the only people who could leak the videos to the right people to get them put on the Devil-net. There were even quite a few photos taken of him, ranging from him in his school uniform, his attire for the victory celebration, his shadowed form and the full transformation he underwent during the fight with Azrael.

Minato wanted to cry upon seeing the chat rooms and forums dedicated to him, finding that apparently many, many Devils were following him from a nice, safe distance. Young Devil girls and even quite a few Devil men seemed to have started an extremely dedicated following, and more than once he saw what looked to be photos of tattoos of coffins a few more zealous followers have gotten in his name.

Messages he would not, could not, should not and shan't repeat were strewn across the boards and he blushed up a storm upon reading some of the stories being written about him. 'Forbidden love with a fellow Prince? Kiba and... why is this a thing? Tsubaki, huh...?'

The many letters he was forced to burn with Agi spells were making more and more sense as he scrolled through the site with Gasper excitedly talking about various different things he heard about Minato from sources in the underworld.

As much as Minato wanted to rip the computer from the desk and blast it with a full powered Thunder Reign, he stayed his hand and allowed Gasper to continue rambling excitedly, even offering input when asked direct questions ranging from favorite color to types of foods. The questions continued, some going as far as talking about ideals, dreams and things he didn't like.

'He is treating this like an interview...' Minato thought to himself unsurely as some of the questions continued well on through fifteen minutes. Rias was unfrozen after quite some time and seemed to shake her head at the sight of Minato sitting at the computer unsurely while Gasper leaned over his shoulders, scrolling through different web pages at a quick pace while talking about various topics.

"I... will leave you to it, then?" Rias called out unsurely, only to understand the dismissal as Minato thoughtlessly raised his hand to wave without removing his wide eyes from the computer screen.

'He looks disturbed.' Rias thought to herself with a nervous grin, backing out of the room while not taking her eyes off of the sight. 'Gasper, however, does not...'

 **[EX]**

"Are... are you sure?" Gasper questioned almost sadly, like Minato was only joking, "You aren't just lying to get me to come out?"

"I promise. I will be back in a few hours, and I will bring my Servants as well." Minato assured the young Dhamphir before turning to leave through the door, "Are you going to do your best to follow Isseis instructions?"

"I will!" Gasper seemed almost fired up, if only for a second. He quickly dropped his hands and began to nervously wring them together, "I don't want to leave my room though..."

"We all have to show ourselves eventually. I give you my word, Gasper, nothing will happen. Just remember my advise and you'll do great." Minato called out as he sank into the floor slowly before finally disappearing, leaving Issei, Koneko and Irina in the room with the Dhamphir in his place.

"Gaspie... you aren't acting as shy." Koneko noted as she stepped forward, patting him on the shoulder in congratulations, only for him to shiver when he noticed the glint in her eyes. "Th-thanks?"

"Here, you need energy for this. Eat." The young Nekoshou held out a handful of garlic, causing the blond Devil to release a girly scream and attempt to freeze time, only to stop himself at the very last second upon realizing what he was doing.

"Get that away from meeee~!" Gasper cried out, his voice wavering as he began to run around the room, Koneko following behind him at an even pace before eventually leading the blond from the confines of the space.

'Thanks, Senpai.' Issei thought to himself as he and Irina followed behind quickly, large smiles on their faces upon seeing how easy it was to get the young Devil to leave his room. Something Minato must have said to him seemed to have motivated Gasper, though Issei couldn't help but wonder just what that could have been.

"I still can't believe he's a dude..." Issei complained to himself while Irina seemed most pleased with the look of dejection on his face, "Don't worry, sweetie! Like, I'm totally not a guy!"

"Y-yeah, I know, Irina..." Issei trailed off happily as Irina stepped closer to him, tracing her hands up his spine as she did so. "You don't want to piss Rias off again, d-do ya?"

Irina sighed before dropping her hands to her side, letting her head fall a bit in acknowledgment. "She needs to stop being so stingy!" Irina pouted, while Issei dumbly nodded his head in agreement.

 **[EX]**

"Sorry I am late." Minato greeted as he rose from the shadows directly in front of the seat he would be occupying for the meeting, sitting down the moment he fully entered the room as if he had been there the entire time. Rias, Kiba and Akeno greeted him warmly while Sirzechs shot him a pleased smile before returning his attention back to the three Devils seated before him.

"As I was saying, I am going to have to ask you allow Azazel to take a look at your Sacred Gears, Rias, without complaint. He is quite the tinkerer, you see, and has been studying the objects for a very long time." Sirzechs trailed off for a moment, as if thinking about how to word the next part of his statement, "It was a long time ago when he became interested in studying the creations of the Biblical God and it has led to the creation of many different False Gears being created. We want to know if we can replicate the holy demonic weapon or even a portion of Boosted Gear for the upcoming War with Hades."

"War..." Rias was displeased with the word, and for good reason. She knew that the Devil race was barely keeping their heads above water, despite resurrecting Devils at a rather rapid pace. The Fallen were in just as bad of a position, not to mention the Angels. The idea behind the peace conference was something she had a hard time wrapping her mind around, finding the idea of peace between the Biblical Three an impossible concept.

Sirzechs apparently thought otherwise, as did Azazel and Minato. Rias learned from her brother that the blue haired being known as Death was also participating as a Leader of his own faction, and it was for that reason she was doing her best to get in his good graces. She knew he was easily as powerful as her brother, yet he was the most reserved being she could think of as far as Godly status went.

He acted as if he were just another student at school and went to each of his classes, studied and aced each test with diligence from what she found out from Sona. The Student Council President was highly impressed with his work ethic, and had commented on it on more than one occasion. Rias had the feeling that Sona was more interested in the person rather than just his test scores, and only spoke about him as a distant observer to continue her charade.

Rias looked up to Minato, though not quite in the same way as Issei, Kiba and Koneko seemed to. She saw him like she saw her older brother in the sense that they were measurements on where she wanted to stand in strength, where she wanted her Peerage to stand. If there was about to be a war, she wanted to be trained by the two that caused such feelings of inadequacy in her.

"Don't worry Rias. We aren't going to let it last long." Minato reassured the girl upon seeing the conflicted look upon her face. Kiba had a serious look on his face as he glanced down at the table while Akeno was hardly keeping her friendly mask in place. They were nervous, and they had every right to be. War had been avoided for quite some time, and the idea was not something any of them looked forward to.

"Hades isn't going to know what hit him!" Sirzechs agreed wholeheartedly with the sentiment Minato expressed and had to input his own.

Rias and the others seemed to relax upon hearing the two reassure them of their fears, the room growing a bit less moody in turn. "You promise he won't try and sabotage them?"

"Azazel is smarter than that." Sirzechs gave his sister an amused smile before he leaned back further in his chair. Two magic circles, one a light blue while the other was royal, appeared in the air on either side of Sirzechs. From the left seal stepped Sona and Saji, while a woman unfamiliar to Minato appeared from the other. She wore a magical girl outfit colored pink and white while carrying what he assumed was her magic stick. The black haired Devil had locks that cascaded down either side of her head in two long tails while her purple eyes twinkled randomly. Minato glanced around for a strong light source, but found none. He turned his attention back to the girl, only to find her in his face, her index fingers not even an inch from touching his nose.

"YOU!"

Minato glanced around once more before pointing his finger at himself with a dull look on his face. "Me?"

"Yes, YOU! HOW DARE YOU TRY AND STEAL MY SO-TAN FROM ME! I CHALLENGE YOU-"

"Sister, that is enough!" Sona firmly called out while stomping her foot on the ground in emphasis, commencing a stare down between the two before the apparent elder sister eventually relented.

"Mou~! No fair, So-tan! I can't stand it when you look at me like that!" The face the woman was making was as if someone had punched her in the stomach while handing her a lot of cash. Pleased and hurt at the same time, if Minato had to guess the origin of such confliction. "That doesn't mean I have to like him, though! I don't care if he DID beat you at chess, I don't want to lose you to him!"

"What?"

"Oh ho ho, what is this about Sona?" Rias seemed awfully pleased to hear the words, "Serafall says what?"

"Rias-tan, tell So-tan that I'm the only one she needs!" Serafall shouted while swinging her magic stick at Minato, who snatched it from her and tossed it behind him quickly. Two portals opened up, one directly behind him and one directly in front of Serafall.

The magic stick span from the portal that erupted in front of Serafall and smacked her on the head lightly, a 'Boop' sound effect ringing out as it did so, causing the large chested girl wearing the magical girl outfit to clutch her head and pout sadly.

"Owie~! That hurt, you big meanie!" Serafall complained while throwing her head back and sobbing, two trails of tears leaking from each of her eyes in a display of waterworks Minato had never seen before.

'What the hell am I getting myself into with this alliance?' Minato thought to himself grimly, knowing that should he go through with signing the paperwork, he would most likely have to deal with the immature being before him for quite some time. 'Is this... wise of me?'

"Sister, please..." Sona trailed off, her voice as pained as Minato felt on the inside at the moment, "I will take care of this myself, thank you."

"Fine! Do whatever, see what I care!" Serafall pouted while crossing her arms over her chest before sitting heavily into the chair next to Sirzechs, who seemed awfully amused by the whole situation. "Big D, you are putting the moves on Serafalls' precious little sister? I didn't know you wanted to secure the alliance in such a fashion! Glad to see you are taking this so seriously!"

"I'm not?" Minato questioned and stated at the same time before sending a look to Sona, who was pleading with her eyes for him to just drop it and talk with her about it later. "That I know of."

"We shall see..." Sirzechs was extremely pleased with the revealed information before turning to Serafall, "Alright, Sera-chan, did you find what you came for?"

"No! He is mean, and ugly, and I don't want my sister around him! Hmph!" Serafall was extremely displeased and teleported away from the room rather moodily, leaving the many confused and amused figures to stare at Minato in turn.

"I am not mean, and I am confused as to why she thinks I am trying to get together with her sister." Minato confessed, leaning back in his chair while crossing his left leg over his right and placing both hands, folded, over his knees. "Enlighten me, someone. Please. I am all ears."

 **[EX]**

"You came back!" Came the elated voice of Gasper as Minato, Bennia, Asia and Xenovia made their way around to the back of the school where Issei, Koneko and Irina had been training the young Dhamphir while Minato attended the meeting with Sirzechs.

It had been a very enlightening meeting and he hoped the one scheduled with Sona later that night would prove to shed more light on the subject than she already had. The ashamed blush on her face as if she had been caught with her hands in the cookie jar let Minato know it was going to be interesting, if anything.

"Of course, I promised." Minato greeted lightly before beconning to those behind him. "These are Asia, my Right Hand, Bennia, my Left Hand and Xenovia, my Executioner. Girls, this is Gasper Vladi, Bishop piece of Rias' Peerage."

"Nice to meet you, Gasper!" Asia cheerfully greeted her fellow blond while stepping forward to shake his hand, which he numbly took and went through the motion. Bennia and Xenovia did the same, each exchanging pleasantries as they did so. "Death-Sama tells me you need help training?"

"Y-Yes! Issei, Koneko and Irina have been a big help, though! I did what you said, Death-Senpai!" Gasper seemed to have come out of his shell, exposing an excited child that just needed someone to guide him with patience, "I pictured them all in underwear and it wasn't so scary anymore!"

Issei didn't look amused while Koneko and Irina seemed slightly put off by the advise given by Minato to Gasper. "Why would that work?" Irina questioned, her brows furrowing slightly as she tried to think about it.

"He... has had it rough. Gasper just needed to have an equalizer, so to speak. He sees others as intimidating monsters, so if you make that monster less intimidating..." Minato reasoned, and Irina instantly understood what he was explaining.

"Hey, that's pretty smart!" Irina snapped her fingers before grinning, "Why didn't I think of that!"

"Because you're not smart." Koneko stated with a flat voice before turning to stare at the girl, daring her to disagree. Irina looked like she wanted to retort and instead just blew a raspberry at the girl while sticking her thumbs in her ears while waving her fingers around wildly. "And childish."

"I know you are but what am I?" Irina mocked in a small voice, causing Koneko to hold out her thumb like it was a shank, threatening to stick Irina in the ribs. The chestnut haired girl instinctively clenched and scooted a few steps back while shaking her head, not wanting for Koneko to get her again with her poke of doom in between her ribs.

"Gasper, how many spells did you have to cast before you could control Forbidden Balor View better?" Minato questioned while sitting next to the blond Dhamphir, ignoring the fact that he was once more sitting in a box.

"I think around twenty?" Gasper trailed off and tapped his finger to his lips before nodding, "Then it became pretty easy to only freeze one thing at a time! I was just putting too much energy into it, just like you said!"

"I'm proud." Minato complimented while ruffling the blonds hair, knowing that he responded well to positive encouragement. Eventually, he would no longer crave to hide in the darkness of his room and would be willing to face the world head on.

He knew that being shunned and having no one to relate to, human or otherwise, was something that would have broken even stronger men than Gasper, yet he tried his best to break out of his shell, if only slightly. "You did very well, Gasper. Are you ready to go?"

"Y-yes!" Gasper cried out while clutching one fist in the air while the other was held close to his chest, "Thank you for showing me your home!"

"No problem. Would any of you like to come as well?" Minato questioned the other three Devils, only one of which responded in the positive. Koneko stepped forward and stood closely to Minato before leaning into his leg almost like a cat would, wrapping both of her arms around his left arm while glaring at Bennia, who was affronted that her position had been taken.

Xenovia and Asia stifled their laughter as best as they could, amused that the competition between the Grim Reaper and the Devil was still underway. Soon the group was on their way after Issei and Irina dismissed themselves, claiming they were going to hang out with Motohama at the arcade for a few hours before it closed.

Rias watched from the second floor with a happy smile on her face upon seeing Gasper following their agreement. She was going to have to prepare something extra special for Minato, knowing that it would have been much more difficult to reach out to the young Dhamphir otherwise.

"So how was his training?" Sirzechs questioned from behind curiously as he popped a small cookie into his mouth, chewing lazily as he held his chin in his hand.

"Very good. I think it won't be long before he has it under control. I should have thought of that plan myself." Rias groused towards the end while sitting down heavily, resting her forehead against her fingertips. "Gasper just needed a bit of male bonding, I guess."

"That wasn't male bonding, trust me. That was more like... student and teacher bonding." Sirzechs stated flatly while eating another snack, "I didn't see a single pistol get drawn, nor any beer bottles being thrown."

"What kind of male bonding are you talking about? I said BONDING, not MAIMING." Rias murmured in confusion before reiterating her statement, only to receive a pleased laugh from her brother.

"You just haven't got to know Big D like Azazel and I have."

"Does Grayfia know about this, brother?"

"What are you- RIAS-TAN THAT'S NOT FUNNY!"

 **[EX]**

"Sona, what were they talking about earlier?" Minato questioned tiredly as the two sat themselves down in his gallery, not wanting to sit in an office for the type of discussion he felt they were about to have. "Were there some sort of consequences to you losing that chess match?"

"I... yes. I was going to be subject to the same type of arrangement as Rias, not long ago actually. Instead of settling it with a rating game, however, I decided upon my fate with a chess match," Sona was maintaining her eye contact with him, something he took as a good sign, "I won. As a result, the status of my contract was left up in the air under the stipulation that I would only marry the person capable of beating me at my own game."

"Something I did." Minato murmured out, remembering the day that he met the exorcists and the chess match just prior. "I... was unaware of such stipulations to the game. I would have lost on purpose."

"I... didn't want you to lose. I wouldn't have approached you for a match, otherwise." Sona admitted while scooting a bit closer to him, breaking eye contact as she looked down at her lap, "I've been keeping a close eye on you during your stay, you know. You... are studious, and kind. You are compassionate, but not naive."

Sona looked like she wanted to stop there, but she took a deep breath and kept going, looking up to re-establish eye contact, "I am interested in you, Arisato Minato. I can't beat around the bush any longer. You have caught my interest, and I would very much like to get to know you better. I know I am not the only one, either."

'I... wasn't expecting this.' Minato thought to himself while giving the girl a considering look before nodding his head. She was certainly a good looking girl, and she was one of the most serious individuals he had met in this world. Sona was a breath of fresh air compared to the nonsense that surrounded him on a daily basis. "I would like that, Sona."

There was no way he could turn her down, not when his mother was mouthing her silent approval from the sideline, looming in the shadows. He had a feeling Nyx would have forced the issue, should he have not relented. He felt worse for Sona than himself, if he were honest. If she thought dealing with her sister was bad, she had no idea what she just got herself into.


	27. A Sordid Affair

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **2**_ _ **7,**_ _ **A Sordid Affair**_

Thanks for clearing that up for me, Cthreen, I will do my best to keep that in mind when I'm writing.

So Minato will be getting a tonberry, I guess! I love the little shits and remember grinding the hell out of them in the Northern Crater years and years ago. So I ask, _what type_? I want to go with a mini-tonberry, but a king tonberry that grows super big when someone threatens Minato sounds freaking fun to write about. I can imagine the terror that cute little guy would bring.

I was thinking a pale horse for Xenovia and maybe a mini skeleton dragon for Asia. Bennia is going to get a barghest. A big, black dog that can turn invisible and has the rattling chain sound effect? Yes, please. Easy choice. Imagine Bennia riding around on the back of a giant ass black dog, pranking the entire town as she went.

You really want to know who you should think of when you imagine Nyx? A mix between Lulu from Final Fantasy X for the looks, Camilla from Fire Emblem and Washu from Tenchi Muyo for personality. I have no freaking idea how you guessed Camilla as one of the inspiring characters behind her, but you did. Kudos.

The story of Hypnos doing a favor for Hera by putting Zeus to sleep, then running to his momma to hide is great, and inspired the super maternal affection I imagine Nyx to have for certain children of hers. As far as the lore goes, Thanatos and Hypnos were born from only Nyx, at least in this story. That is still up for debate in the real world. The children that were sired with Erebus are going to be introduced later, no worries.

On the subject of exploring Minatos skills and divinity, I already planned to do that in arc 2 of the story, which will begin as soon as the peace conference is over within a few chapters. Arc 3 will be the final arc and go through to the ending. Arc 1,2 and 3 should end up being 300k words, though I do not know how long it is going to take me to get them out. I don't think I can push out chapters at the same pace without taking some more time to further flesh them out.

Things are going to get _Eldritch_ eventually. Bloodborne is still one of my biggest inspirations, as is Dark Souls. When I think of combat, I think of _those_ games, with tons of cool anime explosions and what not.

Enough of me, lets get to the story already.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

"This looks and smells delicious, Asia." Minato stated with gusto as he sat down to eat with the large group of people sitting around his dinner table for the night. Nyx sat to his right while Asia, Bennia and Xenovia sat in a line beside her. To his left sat Koneko, Sona and then Gasper, who seemed to be extremely pleased upon finding out he would be having dinner with his idol.

Ophis was just standing in between him and Nyx, snacking on a cookie, watching as the others ate the strange smelling foods with judgmental but lazy eyes. She wore a black dress that covered her completely from neck to toes, something that Asia had made for her. It was wet along the bottom while her front was sprinkled with cookie crumbs.

'What a messy Dragon.' Minato thought idly while biting into another shrimp before offering one to the young looking Dragon God. Instead of taking the shrimp with her fingers, she munched down and stole his chopsticks before pulling them from her mouth lazily and placing them in his waiting hand. Ophis looked thoughtful as she chewed on the shrimp before shaking her head, going back to eating her cookies. "Not, sweet enough."

"They can be made sweet! Try this one, Ophis-chan!" Asia offered a different type of shrimp, this one a glazed white color. The tiny Dragon walked around the amused Nyx and took the offered food item before popping it into her mouth. She chewed the shrimp thoughtfully before her eyes widened slightly.

'Good... taste, texture?' Ophis thought curiously, the first shrimp having a completely different one than the second due to the different cooking styles. 'I... like.'

The greedy Dragon God scanned the table before spotting the plate of shrimp. She glanced at the plates of those eating and noticed that each already had some. The ancient being calmly reached across Asia and took the entire plate before walking back to stand beside Minato.

"Ah... that's okay too." Asia nervously laughed before poking a few of the shrimp on her plate around, not quite sadly but certainly not happy. 'Those are my favorites...'

Ophis seemed to notice the dejected actions of Asia, because she frowned thoughtfully and looked down at the plate she took. The tiny humanoid Dragon walked back to Asia and offered the plate to her after poking her with her cookie filled hand to get her attention when she didn't look up.

"Oh! Thank you, Ophis-chan!" Asia beamed at the girl before taking two more of the large shrimp and placing them on her plate. When she did not motion to take more, Ophis nodded her head and walked back to stand beside Minato once more, who was watching the small interaction from the corner of his eyes with a small amount of disbelief. 'She isn't being greedy this time?'

Nyx, however, had a completely different train of thought. She was curious to see the being born from the Infinite in such a close manner, let alone in one as casual as a dinner. When she saw that her son had taken in the being after the confrontation with Azrael, she was more than just a tad bit concerned. The primordial born of the Night was prepared to strike down the Dragon God in her weakened state, should she have proven a threat to her recently returned Son.

Instead, her son heals the being and continues to nurse her back to full strength as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to do. They interacted on almost a microscopic level, if the way they continued to hold a silent conversation was to go by. She was not privy to the words being spoken between the two silent beings in the exchange, but she could tell that Minato was fond of her, and she was reluctantly fond of him, as well.

Fond wasn't the correct word to use, now that Nyx got a better look, it was more along the lines of possessive. Ophis was standing between Nyx and her son without even knowing why, her body placing itself there without a thought being put into it.

Ophis was concentrating on eating, but the fact that she refused to sit and had glanced at Nyx in the reflection multiple times offered by the plate was a telling sign that on some conscious level as well, she was protective of her son. When Minato interacted with others, she watched him like a hawk. Everything Minato did, she analyzed and filed away.

She seemed protective of those that served Minato as well, scanning them every minute or so before going back to eating. It was almost as if she did not know what she was doing, only doing so out of instinct.

Nyx was extremely pleased with the development, as that only meant that Ophis was going to help keep her son safe. It was only a matter of time before the tiny being warmed up to her as well, and between the three of them, they posed a mighty threat to any who might choose to wage a war with them.

Hades was a mighty being, there was no doubt about it. He was no primordial, not even a titan, but he was very powerful for a third generation deity. The power stolen from Ophis was only going to push that strength of his to new heights, and if he shared it evenly amongst his followers, Nyx knew they would need a few more strong fighters to even the odds. Even she would fall to attrition, should he have the forces to maintain such a type of conflict.

"I must admit, Asia, this meal is delicious! I haven't had food this splendid tasting for hundreds of years! As a matter of fact, I can remember that it was the last party held by Nyktelios and Philopannyx that I was able to indulge!" Nyx praised Asia after taking a sip of her wine, enjoying the meal to the point of relish. "Are you sure you are a Priestess, and not a Goddess of Cooking?"

"I am no Goddess, Nyx-Sama!" Asia denied in embarrassment, only for Nyx to laugh and wag her finger in the girls direction.

"Nonsense, I have a feeling you just might be one before too long! And please, call me momma! You are a part of my sons harem, are you not? You would give me precious, blond grandchildren, I can see it now!" Nyx was doing it just to mess with him, Minato could tell from the teasing glances she kept giving him.

"Please, can we not?" Minato pleaded with her, doing his best to avoid the gazes of Xenovia, Bennia, Asia and Sona, not to mention the strange look Ophis was giving him now. She had stopped placing the coconut shrimp on the top of one of her cookies and slowly turned to face him.

He was almost glad Ophis stopped to look at him, the taste of what she was about to eat would not have been pleasant.

"You are starting a harem, Minato?" Sona questioned curiously, no noticeable inflection in her tone as she did so. The black haired Devil was examining the shrimp with precision, but Minato could tell it was to prevent herself from staring at him in the same way.

"N-" Minato was cut off as Nyx once more reached across the table and placed her hand over his mouth before smiling at Sona, "Yes he is! That isn't going to be a problem, is it?"

"Not... necessarily?" Sona questioned almost incredulously at the tone the woman took. Sona knew who Nyx was, and was beginning to realize that she should be very, very weary of the woman and her meddling. "I was not expecting it to be so... official, already."

"It's not." Minato removed his mothers hand from his mouth and spoke quickly, an almost frantic look in his eyes as he turned to glance at the many girls around the table. "Nothing of the sort-"

"Oh, hush! I am not asking much, just a few dozen grand babies at least!" Nyx was adamant in her tone and the look on her face let Minato know that while she was not pushing him to do it immediately, it would be in his best interest to pretend to agree, for now.

"Harem..." Ophis murmured to herself as she looked down at the shrimp topped cookie before stuffing it into her mouth and chewing slowly. She did not make a face as she swallowed the concoction, but when she reached and took the glass of water on the table in front of Minato, he understood that she didn't like the taste at all.

The human shaped Dragon did not know what a harem was. She could, however, discern that it involved multiple people staying with Death, who she was still studying. Ophis wasn't sure she liked the word, but the hopeful look his Left Hand kept giving him led her to keeping her mouth shut.

She liked Bennia and Asia, and the big chested Servant Xenovia was not bad either. They were kind people who helped her for no reason other than to help, with no request for compensation. Ophis could deal with them taking Death away from her studying, as long as they brought him back. The scent of the two Nekoshou Devils were also all over him, letting her know that both Kuroka and her white haired sister were close with him. The spectacle wearing Devil, however, was an unknown.

Ophis turned her judgmental gaze to Sona, who began to sweat a bit under the intense scrutiny the tiny Dragon was subjecting her to. Minato seemed to notice because he tapped the tiny Dragon on the shoulder to get her attention back on him. He smiled at her when she turned to him because he had no idea what to say to the girl and it was the only thing he could think to do.

Ophis saw the smile and felt her heart beat the tiniest bit harder before an infantismal dusting of a blush covered her face. 'What... is this?'

She turned her gaze to her food and seemingly forgot about judging Sona, instead focusing on her cookies and not the feeling fluttering in her tummy.

Sona sent him a grateful look and continued to eat slowly, losing herself in thought. 'Am I willing to share him?'

Gasper was the only one who kept to himself during dinner, slowly eating a few sliced tomatoes and a large salad with relish. He was eating the food prepared for his idol, by his Priestess, and couldn't get enough of the large home Death lived in. It was a beautiful home, but far more humble than he was expecting, not to mention lively.

The home was gloomy, but not in a way that gave a depressed or lonely feeling. It was a welcoming and lavishly decorated maze, and Gasper never wanted to leave. He was used to living in the dark with only the light of his computer to grace his skin, but the inviting aura he could feel surrounding the home was better than any type of feeling he had in his own room back at the school.

If he could bring this feeling with him everywhere, then Gasper was sure he could face the world head on.

 **[EX]**

"A harem? Really?" Koneko questioned while tilting a brow, amusement coloring her voice as she sat down next to Minato. She had followed him back to his office area as soon as the various gathered had left. Sona had left just a few minutes after dinner, but not before thanking Minato and letting him know she would be texting him later. "Closet perv."

Nyx was in the kitchen watching Asia prepare a few batches of cookies for Ophis while the petite Dragon went back to her room, likely floating through the water on the small raft Bennia had gotten for her. It was enough to keep her body out of the water, yet allowed her legs to dangle into the cool liquid.

Xenovia had also retired to her room to finish some homework while Bennia and Gasper went down to the second basement level, likely flipping through the many different channels provided by the Devils and Fallen on the massive theater sized screen or gossiping about Minato.

"I am not. It was not my intention." Minato murmured lowly while sitting heavily on the couch around twenty feet from his sleeping area in the center of the room, idly pulling his jacket closer as he did so. "Momma, as she forces me to call her, is intent on me having many children for her to spoil. I don't know what to think of it, honestly. I can't say that the idea pleases me, a harem that is."

"Why wouldn't it?" Koneko questioned as she sat down as close to him as she could before leaning her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her side and pulled her a bit closer, allowing her body heat to begin warming him up. Cuddling into him had become a custom of hers, one that he didn't dare stop.

If anything, it was almost looked forward to, considering how warm she kept him. He was sick of being cold, and Koneko provided a great amount of heat. It was selfish of him to use her as a space heater, but she used him as a pillow so it was an equivalent exchange in the end. She once likened him to a pillow she didn't have to keep flipping over and over to keep cooled off.

"I am of the belief that one must form bonds with those they become romantically involved with, and the thought of multiple women being forced to share a singular partner..." Minato trailed off, not understanding how to word his displeasure, "It leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

"If it was their choice?" Koneko continued her line of questioning, prodding him for information. She wanted to know his real thoughts on the subject before she shared her own, thoughts she had kept to herself for months now.

"Hmm... Their choice to share a singular partner? I can't imagine why one would want to do that." Minato admitted, his thumb tracing up and down her ribs gently with no thought put behind the action. Koneko had to forcefully stop herself from purring at the light ministration and instead focus on the current conversation.

"Because they like him." Koneko murmured and turned her face so that she was burying it in his shoulder. She had grown to enjoy the way he smelled, and did her best to bury herself in the sweet and minty scent. It was as if one had mixed honeysuckles and the freshest wintergreen, while still holding a twinge of the smokey layer that held it all together. "Don't want to lose him."

"I see." Minato murmured while pulling her just the smallest bit closer to him by tightening his arm. It was meant to be a reassurance, but Koneko took it as something completely different. She crawled into his lap before laying her face against his chest, wrapping both of her arms around him before slowly drifting off, but not before murmuring something he almost didn't hear.

"Don't worry, Koneko... I'm not going anywhere." He assured the petite Devil while wrapping one hand around the small of her back before drifting off himself, his head lolled to the side.

Kuroka watched from the doorway, peeking through the crack with a large smile on her face. Nyx placed a hand on her shoulder and waved her hand a little, causing the Nekoshou to move to the side to allow her to see as well.

"That is just the sweetest thing ever." Nyx breathed out before pushing the door open just a tiny bit more, allowing Kuroka to pull out her phone and snap a few pictures of the two. The two stared for a few more moments, committing the sight to their memories before they slinked off to conspire together on how to get Minato to agree to their harem plan.

 **[EX]**

School was a pleasant affair the next day, and Minato was doing his best to enjoy the peace while it still lasted. Issei had mentioned he was going to be leaving to a shrine with Akeno for one reason or another and had asked for a bit of advise on training Gasper for when he was done with whatever errand he had to run.

Minato wrote down an exercise list and a few different drills he wanted the young Dhamphir to try out, knowing that it was only a matter of working out the magic muscle, so to speak, before he could truly shine.

Issei himself was in need of a few tips for personal training, and Minato had set him on his own path as well, one of physical endurance training while getting Akeno to try and zap him as best as she could. It would kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, though Minato had to remind Issei that tomorrow was a very big day and to not overdo it.

It was the final day before the peace conference was held, and the multiple surges of pure light energy from the Angels, tainted light from the Fallen and the semi-darkness wielded by the Devils let Minato know that the leaders of each respective faction and their strongest subordinates were now present within Kuoh, the city he called home.

It was an uncomfortable feeling, knowing that come tomorrow, things would change. An alliance between the four groups would spell out one side of the coming conflict, while the opposing side was still a mystery outside of Hades, Azrael and their ilk.

If all of Ophis' followers proved to be traitors and not just a select few, then things were not looking good as far as potentially enemies went. Minato was planning on sharing what he knew of the Khaos Brigade and the many different sub-factions that once swore loyalty to Ophis.

His main concerns were the Old Maou faction and the Hero faction, for different reasons. Rizevim was an unknown for the most part, as were his motives. As the acting leader of the Old Satans living on the very edge of the Devil territory, he controlled quite a bit of rather violent savages proclaiming themselves superior to all others.

Cao Cao, however, was not as unknown. Kuroka had tipped him off about him before Ophis had become a resident of the Velvet Tower as the elder Nekoshou affectionately dubbed their home. Ophis merely reinforced the image of the Chinese youth wielding the True Longinus, an arrogant fool with no regard for life and an ego the size of Japan.

Brainwashing and kidnapping people before throwing them into a gauntlet to achieve their Balance Breaker... it was one of the most disgusting acts of barbarity that Minato thought possible. As soon as he meets the young man, Minato had made plans to show him _just what a Human was capable of_.

His little peons, and he had a few, were no where near the threat level needed for Minato to put much thought into them. The two he did think of more than once, however, were the Pendragons. Arthur, the elder brother, wielded Caliburn and Excalibur Ruler, two very powerful holy swords that had been missing for some time. His little sister, Le Fay, apparently had the ability to cast many different types of magics, ranging from Fairy type to Devil type spells. She would be a formidable opponent, magic wise, if she continued to grow at the rate Kuroka and Ophis stated she would.

Her brother was just as threatening, if only due to the fact that he was one of the most skilled swordsmen out of all of Heaven, Earth and Hell. Minato wanted to test the meddle of Arthur and make his own analysis of the man.

The other factions, such as the Magician group Nilrem, had little to no members, and posed no threat to him or his growing family, but still were worth keeping an eye on.

Minato disliked the fact that he was relying upon the Devils and Fallen to gather information for him and made plans to address the issue with Bennia and his Grim Reapers after the conference was over with. They all knew quite an abundance of spells that he had created in the past that were now out of his reach due to the seals, and he had a feeling that a few of them had the answers he was looking for.

He was pulled from his thoughts as upon receiving a text from Xenovia, asking him to come to B1 to watch a movie with herself, Asia and Bennia. While he was not a fan of such things, Minato felt it was best to not linger on his thoughts and spend time with the girls while he could.

That night, as he laid in bed staring at the ceiling, the three that swore to serve him entered his room, each with troubled expressions.

"I have the strangest feeling." Xenovia admitted with a frown as she sat on the edge of his bed, her almost transparent nightgown doing little to hide her bare flesh beneath, "Like something is going to happen tomorrow."

"I feel it too, and it sucks." Bennia ground out while crossing her arms over her chest with a huff. Her half lidded eyes were surprisingly solemn and her usual cheer was far from present in her body language.

"It's worse than the other night..." Asia trailed off, looking to the floor before clutching at her hands. "Can we sleep with you tonight, Death-Sama?"

Minato gave the girls a few moments of silence for the sake of suspense before he let out a small sigh. "Of course. Come on."

He pulled the blanket back and scooted to the middle of the bed, allowing Bennia and Asia to rest on his left while Xenovia, being the larger of the three, took the right side for herself.

Azazel seemed to have planned for such a thing, because his bed didn't even creak under the added weight. No one spoke as they laid there, each lost in their own thoughts. Eventually, Minato gave an amused chuckle before addressing the three.

"We are going to be alright. Sleep well, girls."

"Sleep well, Death-Sama!"

"G'night, Master."

"Sweet dreams, my Lord."

The four fell asleep, no longer plagued by the worries that troubled their minds. Nyx watched from the shadows with a small smile before turning and facing from the window that Minato stripped of its curtain earlier that week, staring at the looming yellow moon that hung high in the night sky.

'You aren't the only ones who feel it, my children...'


	28. The Dawn Becomes Dim

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **2**_ _ **8,**_ _ **Dawn Becomes Dim**_

 _I_ _admit, I did not know there were Jedi Tonberry. Believe it or not, I have not played FFXV. Haven't played one since XII, actually. That said, JEDI TONBERRY FOR THE WIN._

For the Glory of Nohr, Indeed.

Seriously, I could have sworn I just went over this a few chapters ago. This is not a Messiah!Minato. I don't care what his 'ultimate' persona is, as far as this story is concerned, it doesn't matter. There are too many stories about Minato becoming the Messiah already. I refuse to go down that path, and made this one instead.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

The next morning had been amusing for Nyx, not so much for those gathered in the bed of Minato. Asia, Benna and Xenovia continued to sleep while Minato was awoken to the gentle sound of clicking and a flash of light.

"Really?" Minato questioned as his eyes tried to shut again, only for him to force them to remain open. It was a struggle to pull himself from the realm of sleep, and he almost succumbed back to the warmth that surrounded him on all sides.

"I am sorry, my child. I couldn't stop myself." Nyx admitted while placing the old polaroid camera down after taking the photo between her thumb and first fingers and shaking it to dry it quicker. She glanced at the picture and felt a blush creeping slowly upon her cheeks.

"Your Priestess mentioned something called a book of scraps and had given me this human contraption to take still pictographs, so I thought I would get a head start on it." The Mother of the Night mentioned as she sat on the edge of his bed, watching as he laid back down gently between Bennia and Xenovia while Asia cuddled into the purple haired Grim Reapers side. "This is just too precious!"

"It is too early for this." Minato groused, rubbing the sleep from his eyes while trying his best to remain calm upon realizing that he had more people resting in his bed than himself. He remembered the previous night and let out a small sigh, glancing over his three servants with critical eyes.

'They seem to be sleeping well. Good.' Minato thought to himself while also trying to think of a way to get out of bed without disturbing them. Thinking quick, Minato allowed a small portal of inky blackness to appear by his feet before sliding downwards and then into the hole in reality. Another portal appeared not far from his bed and Minato stepped out of the shadows that dwelt within the realm he could traverse with his arms stretched above his head.

Doing his best to stifle his yawns, Minato made his way to his closet and proceeded to get ready for the peace conference, wearing a suit that was similar to the one he wore to the victory celebration, if only thicker cut.

"You are nervous." Nyx noted from the doorway, causing Minato to almost jump out of his skin as he spun to face her, having not heard her slide the closet doors open. "I do not understand why. You have myself and Ophis attending with you, there is nothing to fear."

"It is not myself I fear for." Minato admitted as he did his best to straighten the cravat around his neck, the ruffles deciding that they wanted to flop either which way. Nyx strode forward and stood behind him, reaching her long arms around either side of his neck to help fix the article. She further straightened out his jacket before resting either of her arms around his neck gently, pulling him backwards into her embrace.

"Fear not, my dearest son, I shall not let harm befall us or ours." Nyx cooed and began to lean from left to right, causing Minato to follow along with her movements due to her embrace. "I will protect you from the world like you protected me. I refuse to lose you, not again."

"Do not worry." Minato assured her, not needing to finish the sentence.

Nyx allowed him to leave her embrace and finish getting ready, leaving the closet to wake the three that still slumbered in her sons bed.

Asia and Xenovia were easy to wake, but Bennia, however, was not. "I don't wanna..." The petite Grim Reaper groaned out while rolling away from Nyx, who stood with her arms on her hips and a semi-stern look on her face, "Five more minutes..."

"Now, now, young lady, it is most unbecoming to mumble! Wake up already!" Nyx was going to resort to using a spell to make a loud noise in the girls ears until she felt her son place his cold hands on her bare shoulder, not yet covered by the leather gloves he usually wore.

"Allow me." Minato gave her a small, almost mischievous smile before pulling a sleek, black gun from his pocket.

"I do not think tha-" Nyx was going to stop her son from potentially harming his servant over not waking up when he pulled the trigger of the weapon in his hands.

From the barrel of the gun a small stream of water erupted, no larger than the breadth of a needle. The stream of water nailed Bennia in the face and soaked the portion of the sheets she was cuddled into.

"MASTER, WHY?!" Bennia shouted, leaping from the bed before flopping on her face after her foot caught the heavy duvet blanket Minato used to try and keep warm. "Every morning! Why me?!"

"You never want to wake up." Minato shrugged his shoulders while spinning the plastic toy in his hand by the trigger guard. He stopped its spinning, brought it to his mouth and blew on the barrel before sliding it back into his jacket pocket, where a small portal appeared and allowed him to deposit the toy back in his dresser.

"You are the best, and worst, Master ever." Bennia groused before picking herself up from the floor, pulling the soaked sheet from his bed as she went. "I'll put this with the rest of the laundry."

"Thank you." Minato voiced his appreciation, despite the fact that he knew she was going to steal the soft sheets. He would never see them again, as she would likely turn them into a dress, or a cape, or something equally as creative.

'I was beginning to like those sheets, too.' Minato thought wryly as the three left his room in a sedated, tired pace. "The meeting isn't for another few hours, so we have a bit to wake up and get prepared." Minato reminded them gently before he, too, followed them from the room. Nyx was left in the room, sitting on the edge of his bed with a pleased smile on her face. She took another look at the photo she had slipped within the confines of her dress before laying backwards, falling heavily onto the bed.

 **[EX]**

"Are you sure you wish to attend, Ophis?" Minato questioned the petite Dragon God as she stood by his left side, Nyx by his right. "Once we step through and you are seen accompanying with me, they are going to assume you have joined me."

"Yes..." Ophis answered slowly, "I, will go. I, shall remain with you."

The Dragon God was not finished studying him, not by far. There was much to be learned by observing the being, and Ophis so far had learned quite a few things just from being within his home.

First, she found that she liked cookies. The little treats had become an addiction, and Ophis would not give up her source of sweets so easily.

Second, Ophis learned to 'swim' thanks to Death, and enjoyed the experience daily now due to his kindness. She may have demanded it as payment for giving him a few hours of reprieve from her harsh but silent judgment, but he gave it to her as he said he would.

Third, without Death, she would no longer have access to her new home, one filled with cookies, water and silence. It was better than the dimensional gap, and it almost pained Ophis to think about having to ever leave the place.

Ophis was not sure how she felt about Death. She knew that since she had come into his home, she had felt things, tasted things and learned things she never knew existed. The Dragon God wanted to continue to feel these things, and to learn, and to taste new sweets. She was a greedy Dragon, and she would not allow anyone to take Death away from her, not until she found what she was looking for.

"As you wish." Minato intoned before a large corridor opened up before the gathered group. Minato, Ophis and Nyx stepped through first while Asia, Bennia and Xenovia followed closely behind, each ready and waiting for combat.

His Grim Reapers took the surge of energy he released as the signal to move out and stepped through their own churning portals, appearing in the air around Kuoh to help defend the school from outside attacks for the remainder of the meeting. The Angel, Devil and Fallen foot soldiers hanging in the air tensed slightly at the feeling the Grim Reapers brought, though the three different groups did their best to remain in formation.

Sadness, anger, hopelessness and dread were only a few of the emotions able to be wrought by just the presence of the Grim Reapers, by the miasma of darkness that pooled within them hardly contained by their bones. The Devils were the least effected by the creatures, if only for the fact that they wielded darkness themselves. Despite wielding shaded energy, however, they could feel the crawling feeling of wrongness and decay that could snuff them out in an instant.

The powers wielded by the Devils are able to be likened to shadows cast by a powerful light.

The Darkness wielded by the Grim Reapers was that of the abyss itself.

The group of six stepped from the shadows lingering in the hallways of Kuoh, just outside of the large room the meeting would be taking place in. Minato could already feel the presence of the Devils, Fallen and Angels waiting on the other side of the doorway, each powerful in their own rights.

Pausing, Minato turned to give the five that accompanied him a small look of warning before pushing the double doors open, allowing the faction that Minato headed to pass the threshold and enter the chamber. They knew that should anything happen, they had permission to use extreme force. Nyx and Ophis needed no such permissions, but took the message for what it was regardless. The threat of the rogue Khaos Brigade and Hades hung in the air and despite being what one would assume good company, things could still go south.

The largest gathering of supernatural leaders of various factions did not gather very often, and opponents would not miss out on the perfect opportunity to crush multiple birds with the same boulder.

The first thing he noticed was the amicable atmosphere present in the room. He expected tensions to be mounted between the Agents of Heaven versus the Agents of Hell, but Azazel and the beautiful blond that sat next to whom Minato assumed was Michael were having a great time exchanging small talk. Azazel was a fun loving type of guy, and apparently so was the buxom woman in white.

Michael had the softest features he had ever seen on a male, without a doubt. His eyes were shaped to be as large as possible, it seemed. The bluest oceans wouldn't hold a candle to the aquatic depths that colored the irises of Michael and his two companions. Pale, blond hair cascaded in straight strands from the scalp of the leader of Heaven, and a majestic golden halo hung above his head as a marker for just what type of being he was.

Heavy golden pauldrons sat upon his shoulders, fastened by white straps and adorned with silken shrouds, likely anointed in the holiest of holy spells. His female companion wore a dress that seemed as if it were crafted from the clouds that the foundation of Heaven resided upon, pure white and fluffy, yet sleek and dignified. Her halo almost glowed brighter than Michaels, though Minato could tell that he was the strongest present from the three figures. The exorcist, for that was the only thing he could be, sat next to Michael on the opposite side of his other companion and was exchanging pleasantries with Irina. A sucker rested in his mouth as he spoke, though it did not keep him from speaking clearly.

Most of the Gremory Peerage and the entirety of the Sitri Peerage were present as part of the Devils representation, as were Sirzechs, Serafall and who Minato could only guess was either Ajuka Beelzebub or Falbium Asmodeus. Considering the fact that he had hair, it was Ajuka who chose to show up to help represent the Devils in an official capacity. Three of the four Great Satans was quite the show of force, but considering the circumstances, Minato could understand the need for such a thing. 'Koneko and Gasper must be in the old school building.' Minato idly noted after reaching his senses outwards to try and find the power that dwelt within both Devils.

Azazel sat with Shemhazai to his right and Baraqiel to his left, each with different emotions hanging around them. Shemhazai seemed to be almost displeased, while Baraqiel was nervous. Behind Azazel stood a silver haired youth that Minato instantly recognized as a traitor to the Grigori, though Azazel seemed to still be unaware of the fact. Minato mouthed three words to Vali, and the silver haired Devil nodded his head rapidly upon reading the words expressed.

'Repent or die.'

"Well, well, well! Look who finally decided to show up!" Azazel was the one to greet him, both sarcastically and with warmth. Baraqiel and Shemhazai nodded in his direction and he returned the gesture, not bothering to verbally greet them in any fashion.

"Quit giving him a hard time, Azazel, we are all just early. I told him to be here at three, and it is three on the dot." Sirzechs admonished lightly as Minato, Ophis and Nyx took a seat at the round table, bringing the number of seated individuals to twelve.

"Now that everyone is here, are we ready to begin?" Michael broke the silence with one of the most soothing voices Minato had ever heard, so unlike Metatron, who spoke harshly and with no small amount of judgment. "I admit, I was first surprised to be reached out to by Azazel for this meeting, but upon receiving a bit of the information that spurned such an act, I find myself thankful."

"It wasn't exactly free, you know." Azazel shrugged his shoulders before gesturing to the three sitting at the table representing Heaven. "In exchange for the information, you promised to at least attend the peace conference, though you made it clear that you were not exactly on board with the decision."

"At first, I was not." Michael admitted as if it were of no consequence, "Should the Fallen and the Devils fall prey to the whims of a being that dwells in Hell, then what problem of mine is it? Why should it concern Heaven? However, it was only after thinking on it for a few weeks did I come to my decision."

"Michael, my dearest brother, that is not quite how it went." The woman sitting to the right of Michael lightly admonished, "I do believe it was not your decision alone, now was it?"

Michael sighed deeply before his shoulders sagged ever so slightly, "You are correct, Gabriel. After much deliberation between the two of us, we decided it would be in our best interest to attend, and should you all be willing, to participate in this alliance, despite being made of nothing but previous enemies of Heaven. Working with the Devils and the Fallen could be considered a Sin by itself, but for me to cooperate with you, Death... Times have changed. _"_

"If you do not wish to, we are not going to force you." Minato shrugged his shoulders while taking a sip of the water presented to him by Grayfia, who acted as one of the mediators of the meeting. "It would be in your best interest to join us, however. Together, we stand a much greater chance at victory than divided. Hades is not one you can face alone."

"You raise a very good point." Gabriel quipped, leaning forward as she did her best to get a good reading of the blue haired being sitting across from her in the velvet blue suit. Though the power that dwelled within him was unbelievably cold and devoid of light, he did not let out a single shred of negativity. His emotions were not clouded by sin, nor were his thoughts. He was pure, but not in the same sense that she was used to. He was not tainted by the abyssal blackness within him, not like the Devils or Fallen.

It was extremely interesting to behold such a confliction for someone like Gabriel, and she found that the longer she looked, the less intimidating that the darkness that churned beneath his human visage became. "Heaven is in agreement to join the alliance proposed. Free exchange of information between the four of our factions, prisoner exchange, and a defense agreement for large scale invasions are our demands."

"I see." Minato murmured while lacing his fingers together before his face, allowing Azazel to speak up for his own faction after he indicated he would like to speak next.

"Now, I have to say, I was expecting to have to fight tooth and nail to get you to agree to this, Brother, but it seems that I am not the only one who is feeling the strain of having dwindling numbers, am I?" Azazel questioned while swirling the glass of wine in his hand for a few moments before taking a sip. His posture had become lazy, and he reclined in his chair as if it were a couch, with one leg slung over the other and his weight being supported by his elbow.

"No, no you are not." Michael murmured, looking troubled by the subject brought to light. "Every week, I must read through the reports of those lost to Heaven. I do my best to memorize the faces of those I have let down, and remember my mistakes so I do not continue to make them. It seems that I am incapable of learning, however."

"Do not worry, Michael. We are all feeling the effects of the Great War, and together, we might even be able to recover." It was Ajuka who spoke before sliding a deck of playing cards to the Angel, who seemed most grateful when he took the gilded box of playing cards and opened them. "You have already completed them?"

"Yes. I admit, I already had the working prototype in order, I was only missing the untainted light you provided to replicate the Grace of God and encourage the birth of an Angel instead of a Fallen through reincarnation." Ajuka spoke with a most pleased tone of voice, waving his hand to the right as if to dismiss the coming thanks, "No thanks needed. This is the Devils portion of the agreement."

Minato took the information and filed it away in slight interest, wanting to know if the effect could be replicated to bare other beings like the Grim Reapers themselves. Making a note to speak with Ajuka on the subject at a later date, Minato began to pay attention the conversations once more.

Things continued to go smoothly for the next thirty or so minutes as the four factions did their best to iron out any kinks in the agreements made between them and dispel any type of disagreements that might rise from their populations in retaliation for allying themselves with former enemies.

In return for his agreement to remain friendly to the Devils, he was given the rights to travel freely through their portion of the underworld unabated. Sirzechs mentioned that two other rights were granted, but he would have to speak with him privately on both. The looks Grayfia kept sending his way let him know that he was more than likely not going to like the matters Sirzechs seemed keen on speaking with him alone for.

From the Fallen, Minato was given the assurance that all of his technological and architectural needs would be taken care of, free of charge. A nerve center that would connect Minato with the Angels, Fallen and Devils communications networks would be built and maintained by the Fallen, thus allowing Minato to finally keep up to date with the news and happenings of Heaven and Hell without having to watch their news stations.

Ophis continued to watch the meeting and those gathered with heavy scrutiny, her pupils drawn into thin slits as they scanned to and fro. None of those present displayed any signs of aggression towards herself, Death or those that swore loyalty to him, but that did not mean she was going to let her guard down.

The last time she did that, her powers were stolen by those that had no right to have them.

 **[EX]**

Gabriel was nervous. The talks had gone smoothly for the most part, only hitting a hitch in the road once more twice before the small issues were resolved without delay. The situation should have been tense, but it seems that Death was being far more agreeable than in the past to the point that she felt as if she were in the presence of a completely different being. As a matter of fact, the distinct lack of insults, bloodshed and inane acts of hedonism tipped Gabriel off that perhaps he had changed.

He did not feel the same as he used to, not quite. In all of the Heavens, Gabriel was the best at discerning the true character of those she came into contact with. She was not a judge, nor juror, not like her brother Michael, or even her late Father.

Death used to leave a thick miasma of smoldering black in his wake, converted entire battlefields to ash and cinder with a wave of his hand, used to poison the air and all around him with his mere presence. Kingdoms crumbled as he stalked the lands, and kings fell to his blade as did peasants. Ancient, faded gods that no longer held domain had stood in his path, and they too were ripped in twain, leaving scattered legends with fragmented names to testify that they even existed.

None of the anger she had known him to wield was present. None of the wroth, the unfiltered rage crossed his mind, nor tainted his heart during the entire ordeal. Quite a few times, she would make small remarks to test her theory, and the more he spoke on the subject of peace and cooperation, of mutual understanding, the more enraptured she became.

Death was not the same being as before. The endless depths of his power still roiled and writhed beneath the surface, but there were more flavors, so to speak, that graced his power than previously. She could taste the Devil and the Fallen energy that swam in his oceans, dove in his depths, but so could she too feel the pure, unfiltered light that lurked so far in his abyss of an energy pool that she, at first, thought she was imagining it. Beyond that bright light, however, laid an entirely different pool of energy that was far more dense and powerful than that on the surface, yet did not move near as fluidly as the other currents seemed to and seemed to be almost dormant.

Gabriel took a small sample of the energy being released by the God into the air by opening her hand in his direction, catching a small, umbrageous sliver of energy that quivered and twitched in her hand as if it were aware of what she was doing. She allowed the light gifted by her Father to leak from her hand and surround the writhing flame of black in her palm before it began to probe and search the energy fragment in her palm.

She was testing the type of Divinity wielded by the being known as Death, for there was a life giving quality to his energy that should not be present. Just as his namesake, Death can only bring Death. Instead of finding nothing but destructive and entropic qualities, however, Gabriel found the healing currents of silver, the protective threads of gold and the white threads of divinity, of grace that tasted of her Father, but so unlike him that it could be considered his opposite.

It was the most fascinating, and horrifying thing Gabriel had ever studied in her life. The more she dug and prodded away at the small, shivering sliver of Deaths essence, the more qualities and textures she found. It was the large source of power just beneath the dark surface of the shadowed lake of power he wielded that gave Gabriel the most pause. It was so much like the energy wielded by Ophis that it could have been considered the same if she were not as observant as she was. The energy of the Dragon God was hollow in the sense that it was born from the void, where as the undercurrents of Deaths energy felt as if they were born from 'Everything', instead of 'Nothing'. They both came from the same source, it felt like, yet acted to complete one another. Gabriel could only liken it to pure, unadulterated Chaos, for that is the only thing it rang of. Creation, and destruction. Life and Death. Dualistic in nature, yet singular in source.

Death was watching her idly, almost amused, as she studied his energy. Instead of appearing angry, it seems he understood her curiosity and allowed her to indulge. He only spoke when spoken to, and allowed his mother to act as the negotiator when it came time to exchange gifts and favors to keep the alliance a mutual benefit for the four groups. Ophis, the Dragon God of Infinity, however, did not seem amused by the intense studying Gabriel was conducting on Death and sent the blond Angel a glare or two every few minutes.

Gabriel gave the small girl a nervous smile before allowing the energy within her palm to disperse while beginning to write down as many of her observations as she could before sliding it across the table to the blue haired being. He seemed to consider her for a few moments before looking down at the paper, and then back at her.

She felt her face heat up the slightest bit when he sent her a grateful smile.

 **[EX]**

Everything was going great until a massive surge of energy washed over the academy, freezing all that were too weak to shrug off its power. All three of those that served Minato remained unfrozen, as did Nyx and Ophis, while Issei, Rias, Sona and Saji were the only Devils outside of the three Satans that did not succumb to the freezing ability.

"Gasper." Minato noted with a bit of anger in his tone, knowing that this was the same energy associated with Forbidden Balor View, though it was much more powerful than it had been before. The young Dhamphir could not have done this without outside interference.

"The teleportation network around the school has been frozen." Grayfia noted after attempting to summon one of her transporting magic circles, only for it to fizzle out and shatter after failing to make a connection.

"What is that orange glow outside?" Saji questioned while stepping closer to get a better look out the window, only for his eyes to widen slightly. "Hey, guys? Who are they?"

Standing from the table, Minato and Nyx made their way to the window with his group following close behind, allowing the six to view the many different magicians being engaged by the Grim Reapers that accompanied him while the Angels, Fallen and Devils remained frozen in the air. Those that were not frozen stepped forward soon afterwards and began to speak between themselves, planning out a course of action. Barrier spells began to protect the school from multiple blasts of energy coming from the eyes on their foreheads. They floated around and appeared in the air, riding on strange orange seals that Minato thought looked almost familiar to him.

"Traitors." Ophis intoned, her face scrunching up in displeasure upon seeing the eyes engraved upon the hoods of the magicians.

"Yes, Ophis. Traitors." Minato agreed while glancing at Vali out of the corner of his eyes, silently giving the boy one chance to come forward and speak. "I will be back."

"Where are you going?" Nyx questioned curiously, knowing that the magicians outside only posed a threat to the weakest of beings. His Grim Reapers were already making short work of the many spell casters, and unless they continued to receive reinforcements, the siege would only last a few moments.

"To rescue my number one fan and my space heater. Momma, keep the girls safe, please?"

When she nodded, Minato opened a portal to the realm of shadows and stepped through with a rapidly transforming Ophis hot on his heels, leaving Nyx to guard Asia, Bennia and Xenovia while he went to deal with the intruders.

"Did she look like a raptor to anyone else?" Issei questioned while scratching his cheek, confusion written across his face, "Just me? Okay."


	29. Bump in the Night

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **2**_ _ **9,**_ _ **Bump in the Night**_

Thank you for sticking around for so long! I may have lied about a certain weapon I have mentioned in the past? I've been waiting to reveal what will be his final weapon for the rest of the story, or a portion of it anyway. Sorry, by the way. I couldn't help it. You'll understand.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Minato and Ophis, who had assumed a small, two legged dragon form that stood on its hind legs, stepped from the portal. Well, Minato stepped from the portal, Ophis _leaped_ from the portal after spreading her tiny wings and began to devour the face of one of the mages floating around the room with gusto. Ophis ripped the arm from one of the magicians shoulders before impaling the woman floating next to her with the severed appendage. Snakes began to appear from beneath her wings, slowly devouring the bodies of the magicians before slithering back to the Dragon God.

Ignoring the random screams of pain, splashes of blood, laser beams and carnage befalling the room at a rapid pace, Minato calmly strode towards Koneko and Gasper, who were being held hostage upon two floating, orange magic circles. The Nekoshou was held upside down, revealing her underwear for the word to see. Gasper, however, was held right side up. Convenient.

"Don't- Don't come any closer! I'll kill them!" The large breasted woman spat upon the ground before Minato, who regarded the woman with a completely blank face before shaking his head in the negative.

"You are in no position to hold hostages."

It was the truth. The large number of floating women in robes had become almost nonexistent by that point, Ophis making short work of them in one of the most ruthless displays of revenge Minato had ever witnessed. Despite the fact that blood and visceral matter caked the walls, not a drop had landed on him.

'How courteous.' Minato thought as he once more regarded the robed woman, who shook in place while holding what appeared to be a sharp candle stick with a burning wick to the throat of Koneko. Before the woman could speak again, dozens of chains with spear tips erupted from her own shadow and began to punch her body full of holes like a sewing needle and thread.

She could not speak as her own shadow began to change, becoming what appeared to be a mouth filled with vicious, serrated teeth that pulled the chains into its waiting maw. Before she could so much as pray her last prayer to any deity willing to listen, she was pulling into the churning mass of serrated edges, saw blades and roiling chains, incapable of even screaming.

Her shadow disappeared from the face of the earth after devouring the one it belonged to.

That's what she gets for messing with those Minato cared about.

"Well, that takes care of that." Minato, completely nonplussed by the actions he took, clapped his hands together as if he were dusting them off before addressing the two Devils still suspended on an orange seal.

"Y-You came for us!" Gasper cried out, doing his best to ignore the bloodshed and the angry, raptor-like dragon standing beside Minato after finishing off those in the room. It seemed to be waiting on him to move on before doing so itself. "I- This is my fault! I'm so sorry!"

"There is nothing to be sorry for, Gasper. Can you reign it in?" Minato questioned as he prodded the seals holding Gasper while injecting a sliver of his own energy into it, completely overwhelming the human based energy that held the matrix together.

He caught the young Dhamphir before he could fall forward and hit the floor before setting him down on his feet. Minato then turned to Koneko, who was blushing heavily at her position and the fact that it was Minato who came to her rescue and not her Peerage. "Ah... I..."

Minato gave her a wry smile before sticking his finger unto the seal, just beside her stomach, before repeating the process he did for the seal Gasper was suspended upon. Just as she began to fall head first onto the floor, Minato caught her and flipped her gently until she was on her feet as well.

"I... can't control it, Death-Senpai!" Gasper cried, doing his best to try and seal off his connection with the Forbidden Balor View but found that the spell used to activate the Sacred Gear forcefully was stronger. "Just... kill me and end it! It'll be okay then!"

"No, no. We aren't going to have that." Minato disagreed with the notion before brainstorming for a solution. Gasper was a Dhamphir, one that was extremely powerful at birth, having already awakened his Sacred Gear. It ended up causing the death of his birth mother, a human consort of the Vampire Lord of the Vladi family. He was ostracized by both races and locked himself away, only having contact with a single friend before joining the Devils through Rias.

One of the main sources of his struggle lay in the darkness that came from the power of the Sacred Gear. If Minato could grant Gasper even the slightest bit of control of that shadowy form lurking inside of him, then things would go much smoother than they were now.

Nodding once, Minato allowed a smaller chain than normal with a vicious dagger tip attached to its first link to appear from his own shadow while he pulled his right glove from his hand with his teeth. It rattled and slithered a bit like a snake before stretching to meet his index finger gently. A small rivulet of blood appeared from the wound and Minato stuck it forward when Gasper was about to ask what he was doing. "Drink. We don't have long." Minato then flicked his finger, slinging the blood towards Gasper.

A few droplets of blood entered the mouth of the Dhamphir, and the powerful energy that was being suppressed by the darkness of the Forbidden Balor View skyrocketed. Throwing his head back, Gasper let out a massive scream before his body became enveloped in churning black smoke. Eventually the Sacred Gear was suppressed once more, leaving a panting, slightly different looking Dhamphir sitting awkwardly on the floor. Minato couldn't put his finger on it, but something about the Dhamphir had changed. As soon as the change was complete, Minato replaced his glove and pulled it tightly to his fingers.

"What... is this?" Gasper questioned, looking at his hands and body as if he didn't recognize them, "I feel different..." His voice had taken a slightly different pitch, almost higher but not so much so that Minato couldn't recognize it.

"We are out of time. Come, we must leave." Minato noted as more and more energy blasts began to reign down on the roof, revealing the blood red moon and the strange, purple night sky to those gathered in the bloodied room.

Ophis let out a massive roar and her body began to enlarge slightly while her wings seemed to grow a bit larger. Before long, she was in the sky, tearing through the crowds of floating magicians while Minato, Gasper and Koneko stepped through the large tear that appeared in the room.

"That was easy." Minato stated, nodding his head to the unfrozen members of the meeting after stepping from the same stop he departed from. Koneko and Gasper stepped through a few seconds later, only to be swept up into a large hug by Rias.

"You're okay! I was so worried!" Rias sounded like she was going to cry, only for Gasper to try and soothe her worries. "H-hey, Rias-Sama, it's okay! Death-Senpai and Ophis took care of them in no time!"

"It was bloody." Koneko warned the redheaded Devil after trying to wiggle her way from her Kings arms, "Gore everywhere."

Issei laughed nervously before scratching the back of his head with his gauntleted hand. "Jeez Senpai..." He knew his godly friend was ruthless in fighting, but the bloody footprints being left behind by Minato were staining the carpet and stank of copper.

"It... wasn't THAT bad." Minato tried to defend, only for Koneko to give him a flat look.

"Intestines hung from the chandelier."

The looks that the Angels and some of the Devils gave him made him wave his hands a bit, trying to shift the blame elsewhere. "It wasn't me. It was Ophis. These are former... associates of hers."

"The Khaos Brigade?" Azazel questioned, having returned to his seat around the table now that it seemed like the Grim Reapers and Ophis were cleaning up the rather large mess, "I figured it was something like that with the way she was acting. I would be just as mad if I was betrayed as well." Azazel noted while lifting his glass of wine, sending Vali, who stood directly behind him at that point, a subtle but knowing glance.

Vali felt his body tense slightly at the unspoken threat and forced himself to swallow when he noticed the looks being given to him by Minato. His left eye, usually covered by his blue hair and thus shaded, was peeking through the hair, circular and silver in color. It was one of the most horrifying things Vali had ever seen. He wanted to fight strong opponents in his life, and he couldn't do that if Death decided to bathe in his blood. He liked living, even if he was bored.

"I... have a confession to make?" Vali eventually relented while stepping around the table, "I know who is responsible. I was approached to work with them just two months ago."

"Oh? Finally going to fess up?" Shemhazai questioned while presenting a manilla folder from the inside of his jacket before slapping it on the table. "We've been waiting, though I honestly didn't expect you to admit to your betrayal."

"I don't really have a choice in the matter." Vali murmured, once more looking at Minato who nodded sagely upon hearing his words. "The Old Satan factio-"

"That is enough out of you, cry baby bitch~." Came a cackling voice from the doorway, causing those present to snap their heads to the source of such obnoxiousness. "Can't have you snitching on your old Grandpappy, now can we?"

"You...!" Vali ground out, two sets of massive, mechanical looking wings to spread from his back while the room began to grow more and more thick with tension. Sirzechs and Grayfia instantly stiffened upon the sight of the silver haired man and the slightly grayer haired man standing behind him.

Serafall, however, looked like she was going to snap upon seeing the black haired woman wearing blue robes and pink glasses that waltzed into the room. She only restrained herself because she would not be able to kill her without putting her little sister in danger, not yet.

"Who are these people?" Issei questioned while Boosted Gear began to react violently upon sensing the presence of another dragon so close. Ophis had triggered the devise at first, but now that she was further away the pulsing had abated, allowing Issei some reprieve from the nervous chanting of Ddraig.

"Rizevim Lucifer, the son of Lucifer, Katerea Leviathan, granddaughter of the old Maou Leviathan, and Euclid Lucifuge... my brother. I do not who the little girl is. She is not who she looks like, though." Grayfia admitted while clenching her right fist, barely restraining the conflicted feelings tearing through her body. 'I thought he was dead... Brother, why are you here?'

"Oh that's lovely, I love those eyes~! Azazel-Chan, you raised him well! I can't believe that little baby became the man I see today! But I have to say, I'm disappointed~." The silver haired figure that strode into the room as if he owned it called out, and directly beside him was a figure Minato instantly recognized. His finger was lazily pointed in the direction of whom he revealed was his grandchild. "You are still _weak as fuuuuuck,_ _Vali_ _~!_ "

"Weak..." Came the quiet voice of the tiny girl wearing a black and white lolita dress standing next to the grandfather of Vali, a completely blank expression on her face.

"Another... Ophis?" Sirzechs questioned weakly after checking to make sure that the purple and black dragonoid was still devouring the magicians outside. She was.

"Shut up, bitch, ain't no one talking to your ginger ass." Came the quick response of the silver haired Devil before turning his attention back to his grandson, "Now as I was saying, I'm not going to let you keep running your dick sucker, so I decided, 'You know what? Who needs a grandson anyway?', Soooo~, here I am!"

"Please, shut your mouth. Your voice is extremely annoying." Minato groused while an absolutely monstrous Devilish aura began to leak from him, "Lucifer, come."

A flash of bright, white light appeared behind Minato, and once more, the Son of the Mourning graced the earth with his presence. Six golden wings and six black wings spread wide from the blond, horned figure while the four halos floating around the horns tapered off around the tips. Instead of wearing robes, however, it seemed Lucifer had gotten a wardrobe change himself. The winged figure draped the twelve appendages around the shoulders of Minato while he leaned in, ghosting along the body of the man he called his Lord.

From head to toe, Lucifer was dressed in the most beautifully crafted suits Minato had ever seen. A tailcoat with two trailing sections hung from his waist while black trousers were fastened to his lower body by a sleek leather belt with a skull and cross bone buckle. Gloves as white as snow covered his hands and finely crafted dress shoes adorned his feet, completing the look of an obedient butler.

"You rang, My Lord?" Came the twinkling voice of Lucifer, a wicked smile stretched across his face upon seeing the looks of horror being sent his way by the Devils, Fallen and Angels alike.

"Clean up the mess you left behind, this instant." Minato ordered firmly, crossing his arms over his chest while giving the silver haired Devil that dared interfere with the peace he was trying to help forge between the three other factions the most severe glare he had ever given someone.

Something about the man offended Minato on a level he did not know was possible. How _dare_ Lucifer leave behind such filth to stain the land! It was as if they were polar opposites, and Minato was not going to stand the presence of the man nor his ilk. That was not the type of prideful being a Devil was supposed to represent.

"Your wish is my command, My Lord." Came the response of the Son of the Mourning before the twelve wings dispersed into black and white flashes of light.

Rizevim was no longer speaking, no longer standing quite as arrogantly as he was. Lucifer stepped from behind Minato and graced the blue haired being with an apologetic smile before turning his attention back to the two Devils rapidly backtracking away from him.

"F-F-Father... what are you doing here?" Rizevim questioned, taking a few steps back as powerful being before him took a few steps forward. His heart was beating rapidly, his pupils dilated and his palms sweaty, "I... thought you were faded. Beyond dead."

"You thought wrong, my child. You will explain yourself before I am forced to dispose of you, correct?" Lucifer questioned, ignoring the black haired girl as she stared at his master judgmentally, instead focusing on the scion he had given the world, "I find it most displeasing to see my own flesh and blood trying to interfere in a peace conference being held by my Lord. What would your mother say _?_ "

"It... She has nothing to do with this! How are you not dead! I SAW YOU DIE!" Rizevim shouted, preparing himself for combat upon seeing that Lilith was too distracted by her staring to be of any help while Euclid had fallen to his knees in reverence upon seeing the original Son of the Mourning walking the earth once more.

"Euclid, what are you doing!" Rizevim questioned hysterically upon seeing his servant fall to his knees to bow to another besides himself, "You filthy coward!"

"He is no coward, Rizevim," Lucifer chided while allowing his index finger to trace up the jugular of the kneeling figure before tilting his bowed head upwards by lifting his chin. "You... Your aether smells of the Lucifuge family."

"Yes, Lucifer-Sama, you are correct." Euclid admitted with wonder in his eyes as he stared up at the finely dressed blond, basking in the full presence of the being for the first time since the Great War.

"I see that at least one of you understands the importance of duty," Lucifer smirked while glancing over his shoulder, eying the silver haired woman standing next to Sirzechs that seemed to be doing her best to not kneel herself, "Not to mention the Chain of Command. I commend you."

"T-Thank you, Lucifer-Sama!" Euclid was almost hysteric in both joy and fear, knowing that the being before him was not the man who died during the war. The Lucifer that died in the war was stripped of his Grace before being forced from the Heavens by the God of the Bible, yet here he was as if it were with him the entire time. It was only the presence of the Devil energy that let Euclid know that he was, in fact, real. "I never forgot you! I've served your family faithfully since your disappearance!"

"And you have done well. Now, will you serve along side me and bask in the glory of my Lord, or will you die by my hand?" Lucifer questioned, giving the gray haired man a single chance to live.

"I... I stand down. I shall serve, Lucifer-Sama." Euclid nodded his head before being allowed to raise from his kneeling position.

"Good. Now, I have business to attend to. I shan't be long, my Lord." Lucifer called out over his shoulder before stretching his hand towards Rizevim and snatching him up in his grip before rearing back and slamming him through the wall before him as if he were a baseball bat, then releasing him from his hands.

Rizevim was blasted through the many different walls inside of Kuoh Academy before flying from the front of the building with a slowly walking Lucifer appearing from the hole he made with his hand stretched over his eyes as if he were blocking out the sun.

"Daddy, no! Not again!" Rizevim screamed as his body impacted the earth, kicking up a cloud of dust before multiple blasts of golden light slammed into the same spot.

The loud, uproarious laughter that greeted him in response let Rizevim know that there would be no mercy that day.

' _I fucked up._ ' Rizevim thought to himself as he felt his fathers shoes dig heavily into his chest, almost cracking his sternum.

"Now, you are going to tell your father of your sins, my son. But know this... _You will never be forgiven."_

 **[EX]**

"Stop looking at me like that." Minato groaned as the silver eyed clone of Ophis continued to get closer and closer to him until they were almost nose to nose. She did not act to defend the man she walked in with, ignoring his presence completely. Instead, she focused on the being in front of her.

Lilith was not as smart as the being she was born from, no she wasn't. She was not as long lived. Instead of judgment, however, it was pure curiosity. She was programed to listen to Rizevim obediently upon inception by both Rizevim himself and Euclid Lucifuge. However, the presence of another Lucifer, this one far more powerful, shattered the commands and spells programmed into her, leaving her free to make her own choices for once.

The first thing Lilith saw was his silver eyes, so much like her own that she couldn't help be drawn to them. The second thing she saw was his hair, a shade of blue unlike any she had seen before. His energy called out to her, and the closer she got, the louder she could hear it.

She was not constrained by emotion, nor logic. It was only that pure, unbridled curiosity not unlike that of a child that drove her to reach her hand forward and caress his face. Lilith memorized the texture of his skin and felt the thrum of power hiding just beneath the surface.

She wanted to dive into those depths and get lost in the shadows that sang to her. Lilith felt her brows knit together when she felt the powerful gaze of another watching her. Turning her head, primal silver met primal gray.

Both figures, Ophis and Lilith, felt their pupils constrict and draw inwards, leaving nothing but paper cut thin slits to allow them perception.

Without a word, Lilith began to quickly walk past Minato, her body rapidly changing and growing as it did so before a smaller, but identical, dragon shattered through the window and engaged her better, stronger half in combat.

"What the hell was that?" Sirzechs breathed, having been watching with bated breath as Lucifer stalked away from the room on the heels of his son. Azazel rose from his seated position and removed a strange looking dagger from his jacket before stalking after Katerea, who thought she could slink off without any consequence.

"That was one of the best family reunions I've ever seen, that's what." Azazel stated with a small quirk to his lip while the purple jeweled dagger in his hand flashed once. If Lucifer had been coming after him personally, or if Ophis was not as weak as she was, then he would be sweating bullets. As it was, things were almost looking pretty good for a peace conference, in his opinion. He was going to just stab her and get information out of her, but now his opponent was going to fulfill an even greater purpose than before. "I agree to your terms, Fafnir. Katerea, come here, I need your panties for something."

"N-No! Get the hell away from me, you freak!" Katerea shouted in both shock and disgust before holding her staff forward towards Azazel. A black and orange seal magic circle, more detailed than many Minato had seen so far, appeared at the end of the staff before erupting, sending blasts of what looked like black electricity towards the Governor General of the Grigori.

A massive sphere of blackness roared to life around the rest of those gathered in the room courtesy of Nyx. Instead of hitting the sphere and bouncing off, they seemed to continue further and further into the strange sphere, yet getting no closer to impacting it at the same time.

"She opened a rift into space already?" Azazel questioned, seeing the distant stars and the vastness of space.

It was a small portal in the shape of a sphere, leading outwards into her domain. Thinking quickly with the information he knew from associating with the woman on the level of a family friend, He snatched Katerea by the throat before punching her twice in the face harshly with his other fist, too quickly for her to retaliate or even see.

Azazel was not going to hold back, not when he was so close to peace he could taste it.

"You are going to tell me what I want to know, or I swear on my dead Fathers name I will cast you into this void. We can't breath out there... but how long can you survive alone, in a bubble, with no one to hear your screams?" Azazel questioned, hoisting her up so she was directly above the spherical portal leading into the domain of Nyx, one she gained from her primogenitor, Chaos.

The vastness of space and most of what dwelt in it was not unfamiliar to Nyx. She could not control the entire vastness of the ever expanding universe, but her domain was there, at the edge of the cosmos she was born from.

She went to spit on him, but he stabbed her twice in the stomach with the dagger held aloft on his off hand, letting her know that the next strike would be fatal.

"I... won't tell you anything, you filthy CROW!" Katerea growled out with blood dribbling from her mouth, doing her best to kick and thrash out of the harsh grasp Azazel had on her throat, "But I will tell you one thing... Hades isn't all you have to worry about. Not anymore."

She began to stretch beyond the limits of her body, elongating and expanding as if she were going to explode. Knowing there was nothing else he could do, Azazel tossed the body of Katerea into the void that was space, snatching her undergarments from her body as she disappeared and then exploded.

His dagger flashed three times before a miniature golden dragon without wings appeared, his only distinguishing feature outside of his thick tail was the horn sprouting from his snout. "Perfectttt~. I like this treasure. I like it a lot." The dragon was practically purring in delight as Azazel hooked the underwear around the horn of the dragon and pulsed his energy three times in rapid succession, an old call sign with Sirzechs to denote the coast was clear. The dragon disappeared back into its jewel upon the dagger before Azazel placed the weapon back inside of his robes.

The spherical portal into space closed up and Nyx let her arms fall to her sides. "See, I told you it wasn't going to be much longer! Besides, that was just one of the smaller ones!"

"Next time, Sirzechs, you take care of the barrier." Minato informed the man before stepping away from his mother as quickly as he could without making it seem like he was running away from her, "I'm going to go break up the dragons, anyone want to come?"

Asia, Bennia and Xenovia were hot on his heels, wanting to get as far away from the memories they will now forever hold as they could.

The Devils, Angels and the Fallen were not as fortunate as Minato, seeing as they were not willing to get in between two very territorial dragons, if the way they were glaring at each other before the smaller one attacked was any indication. They did not hold a close relationship with the Dragon God of Infinity like Death seemed to.

"Momma, please help guard the others for a little while longer." Minato called out as he jumped from the window opposite of the shattered one where Shemhazai, Baraqiel and Vali were throwing up from due to what they witnessed, having no intention of landing in vomit.

One of the magicians had been cowering in the bushes, directly beneath where Vali, Shemhazai and Baraqiel just emptied their stomachs. She was heavily wounded, missing an arm and was bleeding out quickly, not to mention covered in three different lunches.

"Please... just... kill me."


	30. The Faded Line

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **30,**_ _ **The Faded Line**_

 _ **Told you I said sorry already, didn't I? Jeez!**_

I am officially conducting a poll on Gasper. It can go one of two ways from this point:

Gaspie-TAN: Due to a glitch in the Sacred Gear System, Gasper inherited not only FBV, but another as well. The second Sacred Gear allows the user to change their form, and due to the power he wielded at birth, forced the activation of the second, resulting in Gasper appearing as male. Minatos blood allowed Gasper to not only shut off the FBV, but the second Sacred Gear as well, resulting in 'Him' turning into 'Her'. [Suggested Idea]

Gaspie-MAN: Due to the blood of Minato, a second curse has been placed upon young Gasper. A curse that can only be known as... 'The Curse of the D'. No longer able to cross dress, nor wear cute underwear, Gasper is forced to embrace his inner man, and wield his W.A.D. with pride. Issei has come to realize that he had been jipped, and it was Gasper who truly received Deaths Blessing. [Original Idea]

Your choice. :]

I mean, this is how you into humor, right?

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

"You know, This is pretty tame for a fight between Dragon Gods." Minato admitted, watching as Lilith and Ophis tore into one another with reckless abandon, leaving tears and gashes along the necks of one another, not to mention the ruined and bloody landscape around them. Bodies hung from trees and littered the lawn in chunks, some whole and others not so much. There looked to even be a small lake of blood in one place with a large stack of mangled magicians in the center of it. It was like Ophis decided to become an artist, and then proceeded to become the most morbid, violent one she could be.

The magician that had been covered in vomit had been sealed away into one of his coffins to be later interrogated, though he admitted to blasting her with an overpowered water spell before sealing her away. He didn't want lunch chunks floating around in his Sea of Souls, it would take forever to find and dispose of.

She was likely the only one left alive at that point, and he needed information from her. Specifically, he wanted knowledge on human based spells, as they were most zealously guarded by the magicians and their councils.

"Is it?" Bennia questioned with her brows furrowed, surveying the landscape with pursed lips, "Looks pretty intense to me, Master."

Lilith was not holding up well under the onslaught that was a territorial Ophis, though she was trying to give it as good as she got it. Instead of attacking with snakes like her assumed 'Mother', Lilith was blasting the elder Dragon God with silver white flames that seemed more ephemeral than physical, casting no shadows with their presence.

They clung to the scales of Ophis and despite doing many barrel rolls and other neat looking tricks to try and shake the offending attack from her back, the silver flames continued to eat and consume her scales, only for them to regrow and repeat the process.

It seemed Ophis was capable of healing faster than the damage could accrue, thankfully. Ophis responded by releasing hundreds of miniature snakes that rained down from above after flying high into the sky, writhing and purple in color. Instead of just biting the younger Dragon God, however, they latched on to the small form of Lilith and began to expand before exploding.

Minato could feel the process as it happened, and it gave him an idea for an attack of such nature as well. Ophis was controlling her snakes from a distance, forcing them to draw out the energy of Lilith before converting the energy forcefully into an unstable mass that mixed with the power of Ophis.

The explosions were not quite as powerful as they should have been, however, as Lilith seemed to shrug them off as if they were mere flea bites.

Neither was going for a fatal attack, however, despite the fact that they were fighting with such gusto. It was as if they were just... getting to know one another, in a dragon sort of way.

Minato was more concerned with how many healing spells he was going to have to use in the aftermath of their bonding session, however. In all honesty, he did not know how he was supposed to stop them from attacking one another. He could bind Lilith in his chains and seal her energy away from access, but then he would still have an angry, very territorial Ophis on his hands.

Minato was drawn from the Dragons fighting when he felt an extremely powerful surge of two clashing sources of energy on just the opposite side of the school. One was obviously Lucifer, as Minato would know that source of energy anywhere, but the other was so similar and yet not that it would have confused him if he were unaware of whom his opponent was.

Obviously, there was more to Rizevim than Minato thought. Good, that meant his defeat would be all the more enjoyable.

The loud laughter of the Son of the Mourning and the various screams of anger from his son were telling of the results of such conflict, however.

Minato ignored the other conflict and returned his attention to Ophis and Lilith, watching as massive explosions of light and darkness lit up the night sky while more gouts of white flames and snakes rained down on the earth around them. Neither the flames nor the snakes came close to damaging the four that watched the conflicts above them.

Ophis seemed to have had enough of Lilith and her sharp teeth, for she flew forward rapidly, slammed her body into that of Lilith and wrapped her own jowls around the throat of the smaller Dragon God. Allowing her weight to drag them both back to the earth, Ophis stopped flapping her wings and plummeted from the sky before the both met the ground with enough force to cause a small crater and fissures to expand from the point of impact.

The larger Dragon God began to remorselessly slam her smaller counterpart into the ground continually while blasting her with violet and grey flames from the depths of her throat until Lilith went mostly slack and stopped thrashing. The silver flames devouring the scales of Ophis dispersed into tufts of white smoke and one of the two massive battles taking place came to an end.

'For such a stoic girl, she has a lot of anger...' Minato thought to himself with a frown as the two began to revert to their previous sizes. Ophis seemed a bit winded from the conflict, while Lilith was staring blankly into space, still breathing but not moving a muscle. The smaller figure was bleeding from many different places and left a small pool beneath her.

When Minato began to approach the two, Ophis snapped her eyes to him before relaxing almost minutely, not moving to stop him as he approached the downed form of her slightly smaller clone.

Minato crouched down until he was only a foot or so away from the tiny being before reaching out and placing two fingers upon her shoulder, where he began to siphon a bit of the energy away from her to test his hypothesis.

When he tasted, felt and smelled the similarities between her power and his own as well as that of Ophis, the gnawing, painful question in the back of his mind that had made itself known when he first laid eyes upon her was confirmed.

This wasn't just the spawn of Ophis. This was the spawn of Ophis and HIM.

"Oh... That's..." Minato didn't know how to feel about the revelation. He didn't know if the feeling inside of him was anger, fear, dread or a strange mixture of all three.

Minato was too young, mentally, to be a father, yet here was a being that was created using his own energy, and likely his own blood, along with that of another. For all intents and purposes, this was HIS child. He was scared to think that something like this was possible, but then he remembered the origins of not only Ophis, but also his mother, and himself.

He was born from Nyx alone, from what he had gathered, along with his brother Hypnos. Whether any of his other siblings had been born from such a fashion were beyond him, as he did not have the heart to ask the woman when she wore such a cloak of dejection around her shoulders when she spoke of children, despite the loving smiles she gave him.

Ophis was born from the Void as the personification of Nothingness and the infinite space 'Everything' was derived from. Nyx was born from the same Void as a personification of not only Night, but as a representation of Cosmos, or the outer realms of space. It was obvious that beings could be born without physically being birthed by parents, especially considering the fact he was positive he did not copulate with the petite Dragon God standing by his side.

Minatos anger disappeared, as did his fear. Instead, something else reared its head. It was something ancient, something that had only awoken a few times in his life. The overwhelming desire to protect, to heal and to shelter, to love and to never let go, something he had been trying to come to grips with whenever it made itself known, though it had never been on the level he was feeling now.

If Minato could liken it to something, to characterize the emotions he was feeling at the moment, it would likely be to that of a Papa Bear, and right now... he was becoming one with that bear.

Minato scooped the wounded girl into his arms, ignoring the blood that was soaking into his clothes and began to release the most intense wave of healing magics he could summon. Spell after spell washed over the tiny being in sparks of silver, flashes of gold, rains of dispersing feathers and of white halos and green bells. They continued for two minutes of nonstop release until her flesh was completely mended and her energy reserves stabilized, no longer in the dangerously low levels they had been at but nowhere near her top reserves.

Bones mended and strained internal organs began to knit themselves back together until she was in the same shape she was first seen in. Lilith still seemed to be struggling to stay awake, staring up at Minato with half lidded eyes as she tried to reach up to pet his face again.

Ophis watched the entire thing with sharp eyes, and as soon as Minato began to deduce her origins, so too did she. She stepped forward, no longer blinded by the primal, territorial rage she had been feeling to examine the girl herself.

Everything about her looked exactly like Ophis, except for her eyes. Instead of slitted, speckled gray, they were the same shade of Silver Ophis likened to Death. When Lilith had been in her dragon form, she had silver, black and purple scales as opposed to the gray, black and purple of Ophis, another indicator of her heritage.

Ophis felt her normally stoic visage shift into one of disbelief, and of morbid curiosity.

When Ophis had first stared into the window of the meeting room upon feeling an energy so similar to her own that it called to her, she had been caught off guard and still clouded with rage upon seeing traitors to her cause attacking the beings that Death was fond of.

Seeing, feeling and smelling another Dragon God so close to Death brought out a feeling she was familiar with, though why she was feeling it now she did not know. When Ophis had first fought Great Red after his incursion into her home dimension, she had felt extremely territorial and angry at seeing something of hers being desecrated. To see the one who gave her back her silence being approached by another that looked like her, it set her off.

Now that she could truly look at the girl, she could tell exactly who she was by her scent. This was her child. This was her spawn, a member of her clutch. This was not a hostile invader coming into her home turf, not necessarily.

All at once, understanding came to the original Dragon God. The feeling of possessiveness, the territorial streak, the emotions she tried her best to understand, it all clicked into place.

This was a member of her... Family, returning to the fold. Instincts that she did not know she had began to poke and prod at her mindscape, scattering her cognition and her thoughts before reforming them into something new. Ophis scanned Death and the Dragon God in his arms before turning to regard the three girls standing behind Death with strange expressions on their faces.

This was her Family, and Death shared with her a child, somehow, someway, for some reason she did not know. She began to feel possessive again instead of angry. Ophis took another step forward until she was almost touching the leg of the blue haired being holding their scion to get a better look at the being.

Her hair was very much like hers, but there was a small difference in the fact that the closer Ophis looked, the more tiny, sapphire blue streaks she could see. Lilith also had her pointed ears, and upon the tips were extremely small scales that made her almost look like a Lamia in a way, colored silver that blended perfectly into her porcelain colored flesh. It was only the light that glinted from them that let Ophis know they were present.

"Ah..." Lilith sounded with a small, silent voice as she poked her father on the nose before her arm went slack and she was off into the realm of Hypnos, snoring almost mutely as her restful sleep began.

 **[EX]**

"Is... is she who I think she is, Death-Sama?" Asia finally questioned after doing her best to understand what she was seeing, speaking up for the first time since attending the meeting. She had seen many things, many revealing things throughout the night, but this one had taken the cake, easily.

Seeing Lucifer, the Son of the Mourning and the Father of Lies, be so casually summoned by her Lord and then to see him proceed to hang from Minatos shoulders in an almost romantic, worshipful way was too much for her. The many different conversations with Aika she had been subjected to came back with a VENGEANCE, and she did her best to hide how flustered she had been since.

The blatant show of power, of respect demanded only reinforced the image Minato had in her mind. There was no doubt Asia would follow him into the depths of the abyss, even should he not ask it of her. The swooning feeling she got when around him had lessened with time, only to be replaced by something different. It was not a childish feeling, and it was not a mere crush.

Asia had fallen in love with not only the concept of Minato, but with everything about him. To see him clutching the mini-Ophis with the same eyes as him to his chest so protectively and lovingly, so shakily, it made her heart beat harder. She thought he was _perfect._

Minato looked like a loving father, and even though there was uncertainty written across his face as he looked down at the girl, the sheer amount of spells he used to heal the girl was extremely telling of him. Asia would be hard pressed to remain breathing after casting even an eighth of the spells he used, and yet here he stood, not even winded.

Xenovia was doing her best to hide the blush on her face upon seeing the look Minato was giving the small girl. Xenovia had wanted to bear a powerful child since she was young, something she thought she would never get the opportunity to do while serving the Church. Now, however, in the service of Death, she was once more subjected to the long buried goal of motherhood.

Seeing him holding what could only be HIS child made her want the same, to have a child from him of her own to hold in her arms and spoil with affection. He was the perfect candidate, as she knew he was not only extremely powerful, but exceptionally kind.

Xenovia was extremely jealous of the petite Dragon God, but she did her best to reign in those feelings and replace them with hope. She could tell that neither Minato, nor Ophis were aware of the existence of this child previously, especially due to her presence in the hands of the enemy. Perhaps eventually, when he was ready, she too could bear him many children. Until then, she would bide her time and continue to serve him faithfully, honing her blade and her heart.

Bennia was ecstatic, absolutely elated, supremely happy in a way she didn't think possible. Now, there were TWO Ophis, and that spelled twice the cuteness. She felt her heart fluttering a bit and she blushed a bit at the thought, before she came to a few more realizations.

This was the child of her Master. Her Master had started a family, without actually starting a family! Bennia was confused, and tilted her head to the left as she tried to think of how such a thing was possible. She wasn't the sharpest dagger in the cloak, she knew that, but just how the hell did the Old Maou group get their hands on enough of her masters power or blood to even do such a thing? Was it Azrael when she stabbed him, or someone else?

Bennia felt like smoke was going to pour from her ears and the gears in her head were grinding to a halt. 'Gah! I don't need to think about this stuff, I can't even finish my homework!'

"She is." Minato eventually answered Asia as he looked up from the sleeping God with weariness, "I don't know how, but I plan on finding out."

He began to walk back to the school building, where he could see Nyx staring down at him from the room with her hands held to her chest. Minato felt his heart begin to beat heavily in his throat as the weight of his realization began to set in. He was about to ask a woman that shared the same name as his previous enemy to watch over a being that came partly from him.

He was reserved about Nyx. He had faced down another version of her in his life, one that threatened to end the world he thought was his, the world he sacrificed his life for. That Goddess, that life form and her cult, had nearly destroyed everything he cared about. Minato had been conflicted at first about the woman for his own sake, for the sake of his servants and occupants to the point he was almost paranoid, but now...

Could he trust her with a child that was his? Could Nyx, the Mother he couldn't remember, be trusted to protect, and not destroy?

The choice was made for him when she leaped from the window he had left from and landed heavily in front of him with what appeared to be tears in her eyes. "She... You... Ophis!"

It seem she had already come to the same conclusion as Ophis and himself.

"Indeed." Minato nodded his head, his shoulders relaxing slightly at the extremely hopeful look on her face. Her emotions were genuine, and not a hint of negativity lingered around her to hint at hidden deceit. Nyx was giving him the most genuine look of happiness he had ever seen from the woman, and when she held her arms open slowly, he understood what she wanted.

Minato looked down at the sleeping Dragon clutching at his jacket before gently passing her to Nyx. The Mother of the Night took the child from her son and held her as if she were the most sacred treasure in the universe, reverently placing her in the crook of one arm while ghosting her free hand through the hair of the sleeping Dragon God.

"She is perfect." Nyx breathed out lowly, as to not wake what could only be her grandchild. The familiarity between herself and that of her son was too obvious for her to be anyone else. The starlit energy of Nyx called out to Lilith, and the tiny Dragon Gods energy responded in kind. It reminded her of when Thanatos and Hypnos were still babes, still feeding from her bosom greedily.

"I have a few questions I must ask of Rizevim before Lucifer is finished playing with him. I will be back to retrieve her as soon as I can." Minato informed the woman, who nodded her head in agreement. She would watch over Lilith until then. "Asia, Bennia, Xenovia... stay here and watch over her. Protect her as you would me."

"Yes, Death-Sama!" Came the obedient replies simultaneously, each resolute. The massive scythe floating beside Bennia, one that he wielded in a previous life, seemed to flash in response as well. Minato was unsure of what to make of the weapon answering him, as he couldn't understand what was said, so he ignored the display and allowed his energy to begin to leak out through his body.

Once more, his form became umbrageous and eight coffins rose from the shadows to float behind him. Instead of spreading wide, the eight coffins broke into two different groups and formed two large afterburner like cones around his shoulders, each igniting with purple flames as he rose into the air. Ophis, instead of changing into her dragon form, sprouted miniature purple and black dragon wings from her back and followed after him, matching his speed easily.

"Let's go back inside girls, I wish to dote. The air is too thick with blood out here." Nyx called out before creating a staircase of shadows that led to the open window for Xenovia, who had yet to gain the ability of flight.

 **[EX]**

Lucifer was having the time of his life. Honestly, nothing was quite as refreshing as spreading your wings and punishing a young upstart who dared to interfere in business that was not his own. It was even more satisfying for Lucifer that it was his very own son to do so.

He had never liked Rizevim, not in the least. He was spoiled by his mother, Lilith, to the point that he was nothing but a whiny little brat who would cry when he didn't get his way.

Lucifer had tried to teach him to act with Pride, like a true Devil should, but instead the ungrateful seed of his would act like a commoner would, demanding respect when giving none in return. It was to the point that Lucifer had nothing to do with his upbringing and flung himself into the Great War with gusto, finding the boy too corrupted by his mother to be saved from his ways. He couldn't kill him, however, as much as he wanted to.

Rizevim, despite being a disgusting lech that deserved to be cast into the infernal flames that sat beneath his throne, was his son. Having daddy issues was something that seemed to be genetic in his brood, and just as his Father did not kill him when he should have, neither would Lucifer.

Instead, he would teach him the most humbling lesson he thought possible. Multiple 'Morning Star' spells had been dropped on the head of his son, who seemed to be able to handle upwards of four before succumbing to the overwhelming power of the Almighty. Instead of dying, however, his son proved to be more than he appeared.

Rizevim had revealed a form that surpassed that of even the Ultimate-Class Devils and had been bragging in his face about being a 'Super-Devil' as he called himself.

"If you are a Super-Devil... what does that make me?" Lucifer chided his son while wagging his finger in his face, "A Mega-Devil? Ultra, maybe?"

Lucifer felt the incoming energy signature of his Lord and Savior, meaning that he would like to personally play with Rizevim himself. Throwing his son into the air and away from his body, Lucifer waved cheerfully at the silver haired Devil before speaking. "Goodbye, my child!"

"YOU ARE NOTHING TO ME-"

Whatever else Rizevim had been about to say was cut off when he was viciously snatched from the air by an extremely fast, black blur with two streaks of purple trailing behind him and slammed back into the earth like a meteorite.

The first crater that Rizevim had been buried in splintered and sank even further as the two dug deeply into the earth while pillars of ethereal, purple and blue flames began to erupt from the earth around it, creating a massive cage around the crater just after another being slipped in.

Rizevim would not be leaving that cage without explaining himself.

 **[EX]**

" _You have some explaining to do."_ Minato growled as two circular, silver eyes stared deeply into the fearful blue eyes of Rizevim, _"How is it... that you have created a child from MY energy?"_

"I ain't telling you shi-"

A sword appeared in the left hand of Minato and it came down just as quickly, severing the left leg of Rizevim in an instant. The man tried to scream, but was immediately punched by the sword wielding hand as a way to silence the annoying noise.

The severed leg was spun around until it was facing the wrong way before a green glow erupted around the hand of Minato, holding the severed but incorrectly positioned limb unto the stump until his leg was whole once more.

" _I am going to pick you apart and put you back together piece... by... piece, and you are going to feel every... little... bit. Answer me, or I swear you will resemble the Demon Buer by the time I am finished."_ Minato was not in the mood to exchange pleasantries, and it must have shown in his actions or posture.

Rizevim knew that it was in his best interest to talk, as he did not want his body to be further mangled passed what it already was. Despite being a Lucifer, he could not just heal from the types of wounds Death was threatening him with, even if he was alive for it.

"I... Created the child! Using the power of Ophis, and the energy stolen from you by Azrael by mixing them together inside a Homunculus made from the blood of both!" Rizevim ground out weekly, clutching at his wounded throat weakly, "Cao Cao is the one who brought the power to me! He still has most of it!"

" _And why did you attack us? Why now?"_ Minato questioned while placing one of his shadowed feet upon Rizevims chest, pushing him further into the earth while he positioned the extremely long blade in his hand to plunge downwards, directly into the heart of the Super-Devil.

"We were to take you out with your replacement!" Rizevim was not pleased with the line of questioning, but the vicious looking blade poised to take his heart out made the words come out regardless, "Lilith was made to replace both you and Ophis!"

" _You... YOU..."_

Minato felt his mask beginning to slip. The anger he felt wasn't becoming of him, but this time, he knew it was all his own. There were no whispering voices, no persona in his mind changing him from the inside. No, nothing was influencing him beside his own thoughts now. Rizevim and his ilk wanted to commit the ultimate sin against him, and that made him _mad_.

Not only did this man take the choice of starting a family, willingly, from him, but he also he tried to raise his own flesh and blood as a weapon designed to commit _patricide_. It was the ultimate insult to someone like Minato, someone who had lost who he assumed to be his family at the age of ten.

His child was NOT. GOING. TO. BE. A. WEAPON.

The shadowy face of Death did not smile, did not have an expression so to speak besides the two, judgmental disks of silver to distinguish it from just a humanoid, umbrageous mass. That changed quickly.

A jagged, broken shape stretched across the figures jaws and began to widen and shrink, silver in color, as if laughing mockingly. The silhouette of Deaths body began to twitch and shake violently as flickers of sickly green, purple and white flashed across his body, yet he remained in the exact same position. It was as if his body was a computer program that was glitching heavily and crashing.

Dozens of chains, each tipped with serrated daggers, spears and scythes sprouted from the back of Death, dripping ichor and viscous fluids covered blue and black, staining the earth around them with its taint. The earth began to crumble and float into the air as the immense pressure the presence of Death brought skyrocketed.

The jagged, broken silver smile of Death split wide open revealing the abyss that lay within him, flickering dark shades of sickening colors, and the most terrifying noise Rizevim had ever heard erupted from the jowls of the beast directly into his face. Three different voices of three different pitches were screaming at him, howling at him so loudly he felt both of his eardrums rupture and blood begin to pour from his nose.

His brain felt as it were being turned to a fine paste with how rapidly his skull was being bounced from the earth below him from the force of the shout, and just as Rizevim was sure he was going to die from the force, the sheer fear he was feeling, it stopped. No longer was the monster poised to devour him whole, instead he was standing straight once more, the chains surrounding him retracting into his shaded form once more.

Standing next to Death was Ophis with her arms wrapped around the right leg of the umbrageous figure, her face as blank as ever. "We, need him alive. I, have questions."

Death allowed his mouth to snap and seal shut, and once more Rizevim was being regarded by the judgmental silver disks, this time so disdainfully he could have died from the absolute loathing.

A small healing spell was applied to the gray haired 'Super-Devil' to prevent him from bleeding out before dozens of lengths of chains sprouted from the earth and tightly bound the being in its embrace. Locks began to appear along the lengths of chain until Rizevim was left without the deep wells of energy within him.

" _I am going to seal him away until you are ready, Ophis._ " Minato informed the small figure clutching his leg before a coffin rose from the earth and opened its lid wide. Multiple spectral arms of white stretched from inside of the catafalque and reeled Rizevim in like a big, floppy fish, seemingly understanding the ire of Minato.

They were not gentle in their dragging and seemed to smash his face into the earth every foot or so for good measure before finally he was sealed away. The catafalque slammed shut and sank back into the earth, leaving Ophis and Minato alone in the deep crater with the shape of Rizevims face entrenched all around it.

Minato let out a small huff and began to lead Ophis away from the crater after gently peeling her off of his leg. As the two stepped from inside of its depths, he let his own destructive spell enter the crater and deepen it further, thus cleaning it of its previous ugliness.

Minato disliked Rizevim so much that seeing the imprint of his face everywhere in the earth made him sick to his stomach.

 **[EX]**

By the time that Minato had reached the edge of the crater with Ophis now hanging on his right arm, Lucifer was there waiting for him.

"You... appear most displeased, My Lord." Lucifer pointed out after bowing low to the blue haired figure, "Should I have killed him myself?"

"No, I am glad you decided to play with him a bit. He... has much to answer for." Minato affirmed, "You haven't returned to the Sea of Souls. Why?"

"I... I wish to stay, My Lord. Sirzechs, the Usurper, said something in a previous conversation that really stung my Pride, you see... He called me a _mere_ butler."

"And?" Minato questioned, not understanding the insult before it dawned on him. Lucifer was one of the most prideful beings on earth, and being called a _mere_ anything could be seen as an insult to that Pride. "I see..."

"I would like to prove it to you, My Lord. Prove that I am no _mere_ butler. No, I wish to prove something else." Lucifer was once more uncomfortably close, though Minato did not let it bother him. It was just how the blond was, and there was nothing he could do to change it. During the Dark Hour, Lucifer had become his almost constant companion outside of Thanatos and Orpheus Telos, and he always displayed the same type of closeness, even if silently.

"Prove what exactly, Lucifer?" Minato almost didn't want to know. Almost.

"That I can be one _Hell_ of a Butler." Lucifer spoke with a beautiful whisper, so much leal in the words that it could have been considered sensual.

If Minato hadn't been in such a foul mood at that moment, he would have hung his head.


	31. King Me

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **3**_ _ **1, King M**_ _ **e**_

 _ **L**_ _ **ookin' kinda like Gaspie GONNA BE A REAL MAN**_

 _ **Good for him, yeah?**_

Even if he did become a princess, I wouldn't have had them go after Minato romantically. Valerie would never get her Husbando and that's no bueno.

I have to say, the reception of last chapter was way better than I thought it would be! I was expecting the route I decided to take with Lilith to be reacted to negatively, but Papa!Minato is the shit and you all seem to get that.

Sebastian Michaelis was THE person that inspired how I portray Lucifer. Period. Kuroshitsuji is going to be one of my favorites until the day I die.

Someone mentioned Kunou, so I have to say this. She a cutie. A super cutie. I have to include her. I. HAVE. TO. Obviously, it won't be romantically, considering her age is actually implied to be as young as she appears, but I've already hinted at the Youkai meeting to be held SOON through the unread letter. Lets just say you can't ignore Yasaka and get away with it.

That's it for the Harem, folks! What you see is what you get, as far as romance and cuddles go. I intended to stop at five, but we ended up with Asia, Bennia, Xenovia, Sona, Ophis, Koneko, Kuroka and eventually Kunou like, years later. That is only three over my preferred limit, so whatever. Not a Lolipalooza, but not exactly Jigglyville either. [I feel horrible.]

MAYBE Rossweisse as well, as I need her for the Trihexa[666] arc. You guessed it.

But is it the FINAL boss? **[** **record scratching** **and SMT** **intensifies** **]**

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

"What the FUCK was that?" Issei questioned while dropping to his knees, clutching at his ears as the deathly wails echoed through the chamber those gathered were stationed in. Boosted Gear had manifested and began to flash rapidly, to the point that it seemed almost solid.

Sirzechs, Azazel and Michael had taken it upon themselves to erect an orange barrier around those gathered, expecting another attack to come at any moment. It felt as if his skeleton was going to rip itself free from its fleshy prison and began to dance to a tune he couldn't comprehend. The three voices shrieked in unison and threatened to haunt him for the rest of his life in no uncertain terms. It was an unspoken contract, and Issei knew that his nightmares would be intense for the next few weeks.

Akeno and Rias were faring no better, though they could remain standing. The sheer anger, the vitriol and rage coiled into the shout painted the air with its presence and tugged at the hems of the sanity of those present. Koneko and Gasper were curled into little balls, each holding their heads while tucking them to drown out the noise, the cacophony of wrath that could have only come from one person. Koneko knew that the feeling he was giving off was tainted with rage and anguish, though she could not comprehend what would drive the normally stoic God she cared so much about to the point that he would show his dark side hidden deep, so deep, underneath his mask of steel.

She knew he was capable of all of the things she had heard about him, and so much more than that. Koneko knew that hidden in his shadow lay a sleeping giant, and someone had kept poking the giant until it woke up on the wrong side of the cave.

Gasper was concerned for his Senpai, troubled that the normally calm figure that he had come to idolize had released the darkness within him. The Dhamphir knew that just as he had been born a monster, a much larger, much meaner monster lurked inside of Death. The opera being sung by the three voices spoke of loss, of pain and anger. Someone had taken something from Death, materialistic or perhaps a choice, and it picked at an old wound. Gasper found the beauty inside the noise, the presence roiling across the landscape like a fog, but it still troubled him due to the harshness of it all.

Kiba was clutching his sword tightly, a heavy wince on his face as he did his best to shrug off the malevolent feeling, the sheer desire to _kill_ that came with it.

Sona and her peerage were huddled together as if they were going over a team plan in a competition, each with firm looks on their faces as they brain stormed and did their best to drown out the noise that was threatening to drive them into madness themselves. Saji seemed to be especially affected, and his eyes were flickering between glowing and not. His Sacred Gear had manifested itself, the eyes of the coiled lizard flashing purple multiple times. It seemed that the soul of Vritra was doing its best to protect the wielder of its Sacred Gear, at least that was what Sona assumed was happening.

Vali felt himself clutching his heart, his body going numb from the primal terror gripping him. The fight or flight instincts he had come to rely upon were not engaging, causing him to freeze up and fall into a heap. Baraqiel and Shemhazai were still sitting as if they were not bothered, shoulders straight, but the expressions on their faces was telling. Neither seemed like they wanted to be there anymore.

Michael and Gabriel were brought back to the day that Death tore Heaven in half with his bare hands in his pursuit of their Father, to the ruin he brought to their home and the shadows that lingered in his wake. The fact that it was not directed at them, however, is the only thing that put their fears to rest. They were powerful, there was no doubt about it, but they were NOT their Father.

Dulio was chewing on the stick of his sucker as if he were nonplussed, but on the inside, he was a nervous wreck. If push came to shove and he was under orders, he would face down Death, but he would be a filthy liar if he said he wasn't intimidated.

Serafall, Sirzechs, Ajuka and Grayfia tensed upon feeling the torrential anger raining down upon them, washing upon their skins like the shores of a river, cutting away at their flesh like they were standing in the face of a typhoon. Sirzechs remembered this feeling well, as did those present for the Great War.

THIS was the Death they remembered, the type of wroth only he could draw forth. Just as quickly as it came, however, it disappeared, leaving scant a whisper of its presence, ghosting along the edges of their perception.

Euclid was already fearful of the power wielded by Death due to the things he had seen during the Great War. Fearful wasn't the right word. Euclid was absolutely terrified of the being known as Death. To feel his presence, even as adulterated and restrained as it was, it was enough to bring back old phantom pains and flashbacks of **not** better days. Having Death then summon Lucifer in his full glory, only to reveal that he was just his BUTLER, oh... oh no... Euclid was not regretting his decision to stand down. He was enjoying it very much. Rizevim, however, did not get to experience parley, it seemed.

To receive a beating from his father, and then Death? Ouch. If Euclid had even the smallest shred of sympathy within his blackened heart, however, it would still wouldn't go to the son of Lucifer. The man played with fire, and did more than get burned. Such was the consequence of ones actions.

The only ones who seemed to be completely unaffected were Lilith, who continued to rest peacefully in the arms of her grandmother, Nyx, who was too busy coddling her new granddaughter, Asia, who had supreme faith in her Lord that he would not harm her. Bennia and Xenovia were of the same mind as Asia, having known that eventually, they would feel the internal darkness of Death and having prepared themselves for it. It seems that due to the constant presence they held with the deity, they were spared from the worst of what the others were experiencing. Their ears were ringing, but it could have been much, much worse.

"Wow, someone REALLY pushed Masters buttons." Bennia noted almost calmly, if not for the small scared but excited grin on her face, "That sounded pretty brutal from here, wonder how the other guy feels about now."

"Only you, Bennia." Asia sighed before shaking her head in the negative, "He is coming back."

"You can feel him from here?" Sirzechs questioned, still unable to pinpoint the exact location of Minato, "How?"

"She is his High Priestess, of course!" Nyx answered as if it were the most obvious answer in the world, causing Sirzechs to release a small 'oh' before putting his attention back to maintaining the barrier, properly chastised for being nosy.

"You think he is okay?" Azazel questioned in a small voice, concerned for the blue haired being he was so fond of, "I mean... that didn't sound like he is, but still."

"I am fine." Minato answered the question himself, stepping through the shadows that churned upon themselves, allowing Lucifer and Ophis to exit in turn before the portal dispersed. "I apologize. The problem has been taken care of... mostly."

"You... he... why is he still here?" Grayfia questioned, noticing that both Lucifer and Ophis seemed to be competing on who can stand closer to Minato without actually touching him. Her shoulders continued to remain tense as most of the others in the room relaxed. The others knew that Lucifer was obviously not going to attack them, as he seemed more concerned over fretting about the clothing of his Lord than paying them any mind.

Minato shrugged his shoulders in response as if it were the proper answer before switching away from the question, instead turning his hands to Nyx. Like her, he opened up his arms and she knew what he wanted. Moving slowly, the Mother of Night transferred the weight of the lithe figure of Lilith into the arms of her father. The Dragon God seemed to realize as much, because once more she was clutching tightly at his jacket and shirt, burying her face deep into the still bloodied fabric without a care.

"Okay, what the hell, D?" Azazel questioned after the three leaders of the Devils, Fallen and Angels let the orange barrier fade away, knowing that no more attacks were going to take place. "Who IS she? What is really going on here?"

"This... is Lilith. She is the daughter of Ophis," Minato trailed off before bringing his free hand to slowly, unsurely trace the back of his index finger along her face gently, "And myself. She was artificially created by the Old Maou and the Hero factions to replace the two of us."

"...What?" Azazel questioned blankly, feeling his brain scrambling a bit at the admission. The rest of the room seemed just as conflicted, though it seemed to only be the younger Devils of those gathered.

The only noticeable reactions came from Issei, Koneko, Sona and Gasper, who had been sitting uncomfortably since he had been rescued by Minato.

"What?" It wasn't quite a yell, but the fact that Koneko could even be heard outside of her usual mumbling responses let those gathered know that the revelation had ruffled the usually stoic girl a bit. "You... she is..."

Sona was examining the little girl critically, though not in any sort of negative fashion. It was as if she were analyzing her and filing away her details for later study. When Sona and Koneko took a few steps forward to get a better look, Minato adjusted his hold on the girl and allowed them to approach without any complaint.

Koneko was unsure at first, but eventually reached her hand up to pet the sleeping humanoid Dragons hair, finding that the texture and even some portions of it were exactly like Minatos. Sona, however, was not physical in her studying. Instead, she leaned in closely and began to memorize her exact facial features to the point she was confident she could create a sculpture of the girl.

"Cute." Koneko eventually admitted, her golden eyes sparkling in a way that only hers could, "Smells like you."

"We are both covered in blood." Minato noted, seeing the sarcasm in her words before anyone else could, "Of course we do."

Koneko pouted before poking him in the ribs, stepping forward even more before wrapping her arms around his waist, resting the side of her head where she just poked. "Glad you're okay."

Minato was touched, and used his free hand to hug Koneko close to him before releasing her. She did the same and took a few steps back, allowing Ophis to swoop in and steal the position before Sona could get any closer.

"That's... okay too." Sona admitted slowly while taking a single step back, noticing the look in the eyes of Ophis and deciding she wanted nothing to do with it. "I can wait."

Ophis nodded her head resolutely, as if telling Sona that her decision was smart before her expression once more became completely blank. The elder Dragon God lolled her head to one side and went back into her 'la-la land' is Minato had dubbed it in his own mind, knowing that she was withdrawing into her own thoughts and going on a sort of auto-pilot.

Issei and Gasper seemed to be whispering back and forth between each other about something while sending subtle glances at Minato before Issei reached into his pocket, removed his phone and snapped a few photos of Ophis clutching Minatos leg while he held Lilith in the crook of his arm easily, despite her being almost as tall as her mother. Except for Lilith, Ophis and Minato wore the exact same expression, one of complete and utter indifference.

Gasper was pretty sure that he was feeling the effects of letting out his inner demons, so to speak. The young Dhamphir knew what it felt like to let out some of that all enveloping rage, though not near the same level his idol had displayed. 'Poor Senpai...' Gasper thought to himself as he began to shift from one leg to another uncomfortably.

Azazel and Michael seemed to be doing their best to not have a mental breakdown at the fact that Death and Infinity now had a scion together, while Sirzechs seemed like he won the jackpot of life.

"This. Is. Awesome."

Minato was not sure if he liked how excited Sirzechs seemed to be for him.

 **[EX]**

The conference came to a close with all four factions forming an official alliance with one another. Minato signed with his 'real' name Thanatos, as advised by Nyx, considering the fact that while he was known as Arisato Minato now, it was his deific name that would officiate the deal.

"I must admit, I am thankful that we came." Michael admitted while holding his hand out for Minato to shake, "It soothes my heart to see that past wounds can heal. I doubt Father would much approve... but as we know, he is no longer here."

"You are your own man, Michael. Your Father would not want Heaven to fall, and this alliance assures that such an event will not come to pass." Minato advised the leader of Heaven, doing his best to get his point across without offending him while taking the offered hand and grasping it tightly, "He gave you the reigns to hold. The directions you take, the decisions you make must come from what YOU think is best, not what you think your Father would think."

"I know. I find your concern touching. Thank you once more, and I will keep your advice in mind. Goodbye, and congratulations on new found fatherhood."

With a 'Boop' sound effect, Michael, Gabriel and Dulio disappeared in a flash of golden light in the shape of a cross before it began floating away into the sky.

"How come our portals don't make cool sound effects?" Bennia complained upon hearing the noise, pouting while crossing her arms over her diminutive chest, "That is so unfair!"

"I will look into it, Bennia." Minato sighed, hanging his head a bit at the hopeful look she had been sending him before his admission, "I promise."

"Ohh~ Ohh~ Can they make really ominous noises?!" Bennia began to bounce in place a bit as she thought about it, making disturbing noises with her voice that Minato wasn't sure he wanted to denote his entrance into different areas. Asia was looking at the girl with pity in her eyes, as if she was sorry that Bennia was so... Bennia, while Xenovia seemed just as interested as the Grim Reaper in the subject. "It would be a good intimidation factor, I agree!"

"We will see, Bennia, Xenovia." Minato assured the two before turning to the gathered crowd not associated with his faction. "Goodnight, all."

"Hey, Big D, wait!" Azazel called out while stepping forward, catching Minato just after the rest of his group stepped through the portal except for Ophis, who still clutched at his side blankly, and Lucifer, who stood to his right with Euclid just behind him. Euclid now had a collar around his neck with a leash... leading to the hands of a positively pleased looking Lucifer.

"Yes, Azazel?" Minato questioned, noticing Gasper wince out of the corner of his eyes upon Azazel speaking his nickname, "What is it?"

"I was hoping Sirzechs and I can speak with you, unofficially, about a few things. Mind if we come with?" Azazel seemed almost insistent, so Minato sighed before tilting his head to the portal. It was an indication for the two to follow along.

"Big brother, before you go... What... what are we supposed to do?" Rias questioned while gesturing to herself, Sona and their respective Peerages, "Is it even safe for us to go home?"

Sirzechs seemed troubled by the question, as he was going to speak to Minato on the matter before he was forced to return home to Hell along with Grayfia, Serafall and Ajuka. "Hmm..."

Minato seemed to understand the unasked question, because he quickly sent a text to Kuroka as he always did when he was going to have a large gathering of people appear in his home. 'Lockdown.'

Kuroka responded just scant seconds later in the affirmative, letting Minato know that she understood and would remain in her sealed off room to keep her little sister or any of the Devils besides Sirzechs from finding her location.

She was still a criminal, and she did not want to upset Shirone and the authorities for Minatos hand in sheltering her.

"Come, I have enough room on the second floor for guests. B5, B1 and F5 are off limits unless specifically invited." Minato eventually responded before beconning the rather large group to follow him.

Ajuka and Shemhazai decided to make themselves scarce like Michael and his Angels, finding the events of the day too much for them to really stomach while Serafall and Baraqiel motioned to follow, each for different reasons.

Serafall wanted to keep an eye on her sister for a little while longer, thinking that the nights events were far from over while Baraqiel wanted to try and speak with his daughter. It stung him to see her staring at him in such a hateful manner, and he wanted to speak with her. If War had truly come once more, as it so seemed by the events of the night, and if he were to die, he did not want to die with regrets.

As soon as they stepped through the portal, the Grim Reapers that had followed along returned to their bar on B3, chattering their bones at one another happily for another good day. The general consensus amongst the Grim Reapers was that Ophis was stingy, and that they wanted to play with the magicians a bit more before she went on her rampage, but over all it was a pretty good fight for them.

They didn't have to deal with the Dragon Gods, or the so called 'Super Devil' that rudely interrupted the Peace Conference, and instead just got to deal with clean up duty. Death was way better than Hades, and didn't demand that they dance for him for entertainment.

If only they could get a hold of some of their more powerful brothers, they were more than sure they would be just as interested to switch sides.

 **[EX]**

"You are basically using me as a living shield." Minato noted after hearing of the requests from not only Azazel, but Sirzechs as well.

"No, no... more like... mosquito repellent." Azazel was as eloquent as always, not even stumbling over the two last words at the end. Minato supposed it was an apt phrase to use, considering just what was being asked of him.

"So... You wish for me to continue attending Kuoh after graduation for my college courses? That is fine, as I planned on going for a degree anyway, but why are you asking me to be an assistant teacher?" Minato questioned with his head tilted to the left, incredibly confused by the offers of both males.

"Look, you are very knowledgeable in combat. You know how to work in a team, and you are also one of the top students at the academy. You won't be an assistant teacher in the sense of teaching a class, but as MY co-leader in the Occult Research Club. You would hold just as much say as I would." Azazel waved his hands in a circular motion while accepting the wonderful looking glass of wine offered to him by Lucifer. "Thank you, Brother."

"My pleasure." Lucifer grinned at he offered thanks, having always been fond of Azazel despite their differing sides in the war. The Son of the Mourning returned to his position standing behind the couch Minato was sitting in, Lilith still resting in his arms. Ophis sat to his left, staring blankly at Minato, no longer judging and confused. Instead, the girl seemed almost content. He wasn't going to complain, though he could do without her leaving cookie crumbs all over his office and furniture.

Nyx and the three that served him had decided to take the Peerages of Rias and Sona on a tour of the large building, most likely to the large theater area to unwind after the chaotic night they must have had. While not being involved in conflict, Minato could understand being tired after being blasted with the presence of a much stronger opponent multiple times, from different sources.

Euclid stood obediently behind the couch as well with his hands behind his back, no longer being held on a leash and instead bearing a collar with a sealed lock upon it.

Until Minato deemed it so, Euclid would only be welcome into his home with a seal around his throat. The seal was one of his own creation, using components from multiple different Devil and Fallen runes to complete it. Should Euclid decide to target anyone for attack within the walls of his home or in the city of Kuoh without being on the defense, his life was immediately forfeit. The seal would absorb his life force and then sink him into the abyss before detonating the lock and thus destroying his body. If he attempted to remove the lock, it would activate the dead mans switch, thus sealing his fate, so to speak.

The only type of kill was overkill, as far as Minato was concerned, especially in matters dealing with the safety of his family.

"You realize that my free time is going to be... almost nonexistent now, right?" Minato questioned while indicating to the sleeping Dragon clutching at his jacket, "I must take responsibility for another beings actions."

"You are acting like you are going to be treated like a regular student." Sirzechs deadpanned before pointing at himself, "Do you think I am going to be upset if you skip a week of school to spend time with your new daughter? Plus, school is closed right now, obviously. I plan on making a few personal repairs to the building."

"That still doesn't explain why I need to be an assistant teacher to Azazel, or why he is even taking over as co-head of the ORC." Minato reinforced while gesturing to the man with the light alcohol blush dusting his cheeks, "Isn't that specifically your little sisters group? Don't you think it's a little unfair to play favorites?"

"Believe it or not, I am not trying to spoil Rias-Tan, I promise!" Sirzechs weakly defended himself, but Minato saw straight through his ploy.

"Look, your sister is a good girl, and those under her command are... most of them are good people." Minato had to stop and correct himself, remembering that while Issei was not a bad person, he was certainly not a good person. Not in the least. "But I would basically be acting as a body guard and teacher for her group alone. Sona, and by default her... bubbly sister, would not like that, meaning I would not like that."

"You can always invite the others to participate, you know." Azazel offered, causing Minato to give the man a small, unamused look before shrugging his shoulders.

"What would the perks be?" Minato questioned while repositioning Lilith after she began to squirm a bit, doing her best to merge her face with his chest. It wasn't working for her very well, causing her to continuously rub her face on the fabric despite being deep asleep. Ophis regarded her daughter blankly before reaching out to pet the girls hair slowly, not waking the sleeping Dragon with her gentle touches at all.

Sirzechs and Azazel leaned together and began to speak with one another quietly before coming to their decision.

"All expenses paid for yourself and your faction for high school and college for as many years as needed, as well as a vacation home in Hell." Sirzechs offered, a hopeful look crested upon his face, "One of the nicest I own!"

"I've always wanted a waterfront home in Hell." Minato murmured sarcastically to himself, though he could tell Azazel and Sirzechs heard him due to their chuckles, "Those seem like reasonable terms. Throw in the promise of another favor in the future and you have yourself a deal." What they didn't know is that he planned on signing his Grim Reapers up for classes just to see if Sirzechs would keep his word.

While he did have deep pockets due to the generous deal between himself and Azazel for the return of his rogues, he would not have enough to send Asia, Bennia and Xenovia as well as himself to college without finding a new way to make money in the supernatural world. He was going to speak with Lucifer and Euclid on the subject later before he once more forgot, just like he kept forgetting memory spells.

"Sounds good." Sirzechs admitted while holding his hand out for Minato to take, which he gladly did.

"Now, are you sure you don't mind watching over them for the night? Security measures are already being taken to prevent another incursion, but it is still better safe than sorry." Sirzechs seemed pretty strained by the question, and Minato almost wanted to tell the man to deal with it himself before he nodded his head in the affirmative. "The girls are already getting them settled in, they are more than welcome to stay until you can get the building put up next door."

"You have no idea how glad I am you're back, Big D. You are a _life saver_." Sirzechs admitted, his shoulders relaxing as he leaned further back into his seat after handing two envelopes to Minato and winking conspiratorially. Azazel, however, seemed to be more thankful for the never ending glasses of wine Lucifer kept coming, an unspoken competition between Azazel and his older brother taking place, one seeing if he could drink faster than the other could refill his goblet.

Minato was going to make another comment but he trailed off as he turned to the right, watching as Lucifer delivered Ophis a batch of cookies fresh from the kitchen while still pouring a glass of wine with his other hand. Apparently, the man was great at multitasking.

If Lucifer had any form of skill in paperwork, Minato was beginning to think this was a match truly made in hell.


	32. Iter Impius

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **3**_ _ **2, Iter Impius**_

So what type of item would you like to see as the Reincarnation Pieces for the Grim Reapers? What should the system be called?

I thought about using loaded dice to represent that while you can gamble with Death, you will always lose. I mean, a chess set just sounds kinda dumb to me, while the jackass Angels already took poker AND blackjack.

Yes, Ophis took the position as head waifu. Should I update the character tags to reflect the change? I originally wanted Koneko to be the first to officially get together with him, as she WAS the first person he formed a close relationship with.

Kuroka is going to be getting her pardon, and Koneko is going to be admitting her feelings very, very soon.

Ugh, I mean I want to add Ravel, Gabriel and Le Fay so much, but I think there is hardly any space left in his bed, yeah? It's not as bad as Isseis original, but still...

ALSO, FORGOT ABOUT ELMENHILDE TOO. WHY.

Damn it. Getting sidetracked again. Thanks for the ThanaTOSS them in a coffin, that made my morning. I love the idea for the cardboard tank, so much that I have to do it. Also, the ending is meant to be taken as a bit of an Omake, kinda.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Minato woke up as the meat of a Dragon God sandwich, Ophis cuddling into his back with Lilith still curling into his stomach. The giggling noises emanating from the foot of his bed and the sounds of shutters snapping let him know that once more, Nyx was in his room taking pictures of him sleeping.

"Mother... momma... please. Let me wake up before you do this to me." Minato groaned while trying to move without disturbing either of the cuddly, territorial beings. Sensing the loss of their pillow, both seemed to scoot into the cold void he left and curling into one another.

It seems his lack of body heat did not bother the two. In fact, they seemed to enjoy it even more than otherwise.

"How did either of them end up in my bed?" Minato thought to himself, looking to the empty bed that he had placed Lilith in to rest before he went to sleep himself just a few feet from his own. She did not seem to indicate she would be violent when she woke up for all of five minutes the previous night, instead just staring at him silently while using her left hand to pet his face. He didn't know if she was just trying to get to know him, or if it was a quirk of hers, so he let the girl while introducing himself as her father.

She nodded her head in acceptance of his words, seemingly understanding speech enough to discern what the meaning of 'Father' was before she curled her head back into his chest and went back to sleep. It was something he would remember for the rest of his life.

The only thing he could think at that moment was that the resting poker face must be genetic.

"Ophis was standing by the bed staring at you for quite some time, so I informed her that she could always lay down as well." Nyx admitted, shrugging her shoulders in a movement that seemed to emphasize her bust, "Lilith was quick to crawl out of her little bed and do the same, though I did not say a word to her."

"Ah..." Minato murmured to himself, "I admit, I prefer to sleep alone."

"You won't be sleeping alone anymore, darling." Nyx informed him with a grin and a wag of her index finger, "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"Really? Must you do this to me?" Minato questioned with a quirk of his brow, looking completely unimpressed with the Goddess, "I mphhh-"

Minato was cut off when he was drawn into the womans embrace, finding his face buried in her chest while she swung him side to side in a massive embrace, "Of course I must! One grand baby is not enough! I admit, you work fast, but we need to up the speed a bit more if my dreams are going to come to fruition!"

"Whhht Drrms?" Minato attempted to ask, and it seemed that Nyx understood him completely due to the way her voice picked up a bit.

"To have an army of grand babies!" Her eyes were sparkling as she looked to the sky, ignoring the fact that Minato was struggling to breath after having his face buried deeply in between her large breasts, "Once complete, we shall take the world by storm! Tehehe!"

Minato eventually fell back into the realm of unconsciousness due to the lack of oxygen, causing Nyx to begin to freak out and shake him violently before running in a circle, his slack body clutched in her arms as she did so.

"No, oh no! I've killed him! How am I going to have my army now?! Nooooo~!"

Ophis woke up from her slumber, as did Lilith, watching in idle curiosity as Minato was flung too and fro before he eventually ended up sprawled out on the bed with Nyx pushing on his chest, "Wake up! Wake up wake up wake up!"

Minato just rolled over and buried his face in the bed, groaning and what sounded like sobbing as he did so. Lilith looked down at her father, looked over to Ophis, then her grandmother before crawling on his back and sitting directly on top of him while poking him in various spots as if testing to see if he was okay. "Wake... up..."

The sobbing noises grew louder.

 **[EX]**

"Thank you, Lucifer-Sama! This smells so amazing~!" Asia sang out, watching in wonder as the tall, lithe blond began to set the table for breakfast, making himself as useful as he could to remain from being sent back into the Sea of Souls.

"Please, we are both servants of our Lord! Just call me Lucifer, or Lucy if you must!" Lucifer sounded slightly exasperated but the small smile on his face let Asia know he meant it in a good way.

"O-oh, Lucifer is fine, I do not want to disrespect you!" Asia stammered out while holding her cheeks, aghast at the notion. She knew the tall being was one of the most prideful beings on earth, and she did not want to offend him, especially after how helpful he had been. Her usual routine of cooking had to start an hour early due to the large influx of guests.

"As you wish, Asia. I admit, you certainly know your way around the kitchen." Lucifer complimented as Euclid stepped from the large kitchen area with another trolley of food to be set out, an accomplished look on his face.

It seems the man had fallen into the position as a butler rather well, finishing the entire layout rather quickly before rolling the trolley back into the kitchen and out of sight.

Breakfast was served five minutes later after the two Peerages and the residents of the Velvet Tower made their way to the dinning area.

As usual, Minato took the head of the table, this time with Lilith directly to his left with Ophis sitting to his right. The rest filled in easily enough with those closer to Minato sitting further up the table.

"Now, before you all depart for the day, I would like to say a few things concerning the things you may have seen, heard or felt last night, if that is alright?" Minato questioned, and when the many assorted figures of the two Peerages nodded their heads in acceptance, he began to speak once more.

"I apologize for the abrupt release of my energy last night. I knew that it could have some negative impact upon the land, but I was unaware my own emotions would cause it to act in such a nature. I will do my best to try and keep you all from such an experience again." Minato began after taking a sip of the orange juice placed before him courtesy of Lucifer, "That said, I shall be offering training to those of you willing to take it. Sirzechs and Serafall have given me permission to do so, though I will not force you to accept my offer. Should you choose to accept, we shall be beginning five days from now after I can get a new area set up for such a thing."

"We can use the same area as we did when you trained my Peerage for our Rating Game if you would like." Rias offered kindly, greatly relieved that her brother was able to talk him into taking the position as a teacher of theirs once more. She knew he would be taking over as the co-head of the Occult Research Club the coming year and found that she would much rather defer to Minato than to Azazel.

Death had yet to let them down, and had protected them on more than one occasion. He fought beside them and had bled beside them, not to mention taught them each new tricks to give them the edge they needed to take down Raiser.

"I would prefer to not kill any more beautiful landscapes if I can." Minato admitted while scratching his cheek with his index finger, "It seems like I owe this city quite a few trees so far."

"You would even train US?" Saji questioned while gesturing to himself and the Sitri Peerage, "Even if you don't know us?"

"I may not know you personally, but I would not be opposed to teaching you to defend yourself better. I am skilled in many different fields, and I feel that it would be better to pass down these skills to those who might need them. Especially so now that the threat of Hades is lingering over our heads." Minato admitted with a shrug, "I am now allied with the Devil faction, and I happen to go to school with you."

Saji seemed as if he were going to cry before he clenched his fist to the sky, "You... you may have taken my dreams, but I just can't hate you! Why are you such a cool guy, Death-Senpai!? Why?!"

"Enough, Saji. I apologize, Minato, my Pawn has decided to forgo his usual respect." Sona was quick to admonish her Pawn for speaking out of turn, not wanting to offend the one she had become so interested in. The Sitri heir did not want her Pawn to ruin any chance she had at eventually wooing the God to her, and the glare she sent his way seemed to indicate just what type of ire she would bring down on him should he continue. If only she could get pass the Dragon God that has attached herself to him.

She felt the gaze of not one, but two beings upon her. Turning her to survey the table, she eventually locked eyes with Lilith and Ophis, who were staring at her blankly, as if they knew just what she was thinking. Doing her best to ignore the cold sweat appearing between her shoulder blades, Sona continued to eat the wonderfully prepared breakfast and ignore the two. 'Great, now Lilith is doing it to. What did I do to them?'

"Think nothing of it. I... was unaware I had taken his dreams from him. How could I have done that?" Minato questioned eventually, thinking over the words of Saji for a second time.

"You didn't, I didn't mean anything by it. Absolutely nothing." Saji seemed to understand that his life was on the line, especially so when Tsubaki, who sat directly next to him, summoned her naginata while laying the blade directly in his lap. The look she was giving him let the blond haired student council representative know that it was probably best he shut the hell up.

"I see..." Minato could not help the small smile that came to his face upon seeing the exchange between the three Devils, finding it amusing that Tsubaki was threatening him in such a manner. "Either way. Just be here in five days if you interested. If not, that is just as well."

With that said, Minato went back to trying to eat, only for Lilith to tug on his sleeve. Turning his head, he watched the little Dragon God point at her food before pointing to her mouth before tilting her head to the side.

The chopsticks that were laid out for her were broken in half, and she looked the slightest bit upset.

Thinking quickly, Minato began to pick pieces of food from her plate before offering it to her, causing her to reach forward ravenously to take the strip of cooked meat before swallowing it whole.

"Ah... no, Lilith. You need to chew your food, like this." Minato attempted to demonstrate by picking up a piece of his own food before bringing it to his face. Lilith was faster and lurched forward, snatching the piece of meat that was only an inch from entering his own mouth.

Minato stopped, brought the chopsticks into his field of vision once more before looking at the petite Dragon God, who stared blankly back.

"Greedy like your mother." Minato smiled lightly, reaching out and tapping her lightly on the nose, "Patience."

"Ah... Okay." Lilith murmured out, seemingly not caring that she was just chastised by her father, instead watching him with a small bit of drool hanging from the corner of her mouth as he grabbed another piece of meat for the girl.

Ophis just frowned before looking down to her cookies after watching Death feed their daughter. She proceeded to tug on his right sleeve, causing him to turn his attention away from Lilith for a moment. Ophis pointed to her cookies and then to his mouth, causing Minato to give her a flat look before picking up a cookie with his free hand to idly pick up cookies for Ophis to take while returning his attention to his daughter.

"I think I just caught diabetes from seeing this." Kiba frowned before going back to his food, doing his best to ignore the family bonding moment, "So damn sweet I feel sick."

"Wow, Kiba. Keep that jealousy of yours under control, will ya?" Issei questioned while taking yet another picture of the three, sending the image to Gasper who then proceeded to update his fan site once more with the scene.

Death felt a disturbance in the force and snapped his gaze across the table at the Dhamphir, who didn't look guilty in the least for his actions. Normally, he would be feeling pretty scared, being looked at in such a way. He woke up feeling a bit strange this morning, and for some reason, none of his underwear seemed to fit right, neither did the rest of his clothes. It was annoying, having to deal with a constant wedgie and it put the Dhamphir in a right mood.

Gasper sighed and shrugged his shoulders before giving his simple explination. "Your fans are fiends. I am sure they would hunt me down if I stopped now."

Minato just nodded his head slowly before turning his attention back to Lilith and Ophis who began to tug on his sleeves once more when he stopped, knowing that from what he read, Gasper was most certainly right. The people that proclaimed themselves his followers on the Devilnet WERE rather excessive in their dedication to him, it seemed.

He didn't know just how large that following was becoming now that his 'family portrait' had been released by Gasper the night before. Thus began the story of Death, the lover of the Infinite and King of the Dragon Gods, growing more and more distorted as the story continued to propagate.

 **[EX]**

The rest of breakfast passed without trouble and the two Devil Peerages were allowed to go about their own business. Rias seemed intent on going back to the ORC after sending a text to her brother, making sure that he was taking care of the repairs like he said he would and not being lazy.

Sona and her group left as well, but not before Minato assured her that he would be speaking with her soon, and perhaps even setting up a time to play a few games of chess together. That seemed to greatly satisfy the girl, especially due to the small but smug grin she wore as her group departed.

Lucifer and Euclid had cleaned up the many cookie crumbs and the dishes, not to mention put the left overs away for Asia, Bennia and Xenovia to snack on throughout the day should they get hungry. Asia left to go do her daily sermon with the Cult of Thanatos while Bennia went to catch up on even more homework she had yet to complete. Xenovia was intent on honing a few of the 'spell sword' techniques she had become interested in and followed after Asia to go to her normal training area thirty or so feet away from the main clearing.

Minato was eventually allowed to retreat back to his office while getting Lucifer to follow after him. Ophis seemed intent on spending time with the smaller Dragon God born from her own blood and energy, getting Lilith to follow behind her easily enough.

Nyx was able to distract the two by introducing Lilith to marshmallows, which she would stick on a long sliver of metal before blasting it lightly with the silver white flames before eating quickly. The heat didn't seem to bother neither her nor Ophis, who followed after her daughters example by hitting her own with indigo flames before stuffing them in her cheeks, allowing them to melt before swallowing. They both seemed to stop and smack their lips idly every few marshmallows in appreciation before going back at it.

Both looked spaced out entirely by the time they had finished their bags of treats and leaned on one another for support as they held their tummies, the large couch they were sitting on long enough for each to stretch out a bit.

Minato opened one of the two letters handed to him by Sirzechs the previous night, scanning its contents quickly at first before his eyebrows rose a good bit. He returned his gaze to the beginning of the letter and read it a second time before whipping out his phone and texting Kuroka.

'Come to my office. Coast is clear.'

She was there within two minutes, as alluring as always with the way she sauntered her hips and chest when she walked. No matter what she wore, or how she wore it, Kuroka had sex appeal in spades.

"Yeeees~? Is it kitten time, yet?" Kuroka questioned, waggling her eyebrows in his direction while tracing a finger from her throat and downwards to her chest, parting the cloth a bit to tease him.

"Not quite, Kuroka. I have a letter here for you from Sirzechs." Minato admitted while handing over the letter that was addressed to the two of them. Kuroka seemed a bit confused before she took the slip of paper and began to read it, unsure as to why she would be getting a letter from the Crimson Satan in the first place, or how he even knew she was in Minatos presence.

She was only looking at the paper for a second before she snapped her wide eyes from the paper to him, then back to the paper to reread a second time.

 _'To Minato and Kuroka,_

 _You drive a hard bargain, old friend._

 _It has taken a lot of politicking and rubbing elbows, but I was eventually able to get Kuroka pardoned as part of the Alliance agreement with your faction. Just know that despite this, however, she is still not going to be a well received figure among the Purebloods. Koneko has not been made aware of this change in status, so if you plan on letting her know before someone else tells her, you might want to work fast._

 _I still owe you big time, so don't forget to call on me if you need me!_

 _Congratulations, Kuroka, on your freedom. Minato was most adamant, and even offered up a legendary artifact for you. I don't know what you have done to earn that kind of protection from him, but you couldn't have chosen a better person to look out for you._

 _P.S.- When are you going to have another drink with me, damn it? I need some MAN time! Grayfia is driving me crazy with this work load!_

 _-Sirzechs'_

Kuroka looked from the paper in her hands back to Minato one more time before she threw the paper to the side, leaped over his desk and crushed her body against his after he fell from his chair. The two landed heavily with her still on top of him, and before he could say anything about her manhandling of him, he felt her lips crash into his.

He felt his body freeze up for a bit as she continued to press her lips into his before she pulled back and repeated the process over and over until his face, lips and neck were covered in her lipstick. She muttered her thanks in between every kiss she planted, and had Minato been a lesser man, he would have melted from the heat she was generating. She eventually stopped planting butterfly kisses along his face and throat before leaning her face directly over his.

"You... you... why would you do that for me?" Kuroka questioned, tears in her eyes despite the happy expression on her face, "Why are you so nice? I... I...!"

Kuroka was cut off when she felt Minato push his back from the floor, though she did not move from her position directly in his lap. He eyeballed her for a few moments after grasping her by the shoulders and making her look him in the eyes, not exactly happy but not displaying any negativity before he answered.

"You are a good woman, Kuroka. You may have a libido large enough for everyone in this home, and you are insatiable, but I want you to be able to speak with your sister again. I don't want for you to have to hide, and live the life of a criminal for protecting Koneko from that monster. Now, we have to figure out how to get her to agree to speak with you."

Kuroka was breathing heavily by the time he finished speaking, and when he motioned to continue, she once more engulfed his lips with her own, this time wrapping both of her arms around his shoulders and neck.

This was not a desperate type of kiss, no, it was much more than that. The passion she was feeling danced across his mental awareness, tantalizing him in its intensity. It was like electricity coursing from her into him, going from his heads to his toes before repeating the process. Minato felt his body tingling in a way he hadn't felt in quite a long time for a moment.

He did not struggle, and even seemed to enjoy the experience for what it was. Kuroka was a beautiful woman, there was no doubt about it, and this was the most sincere form of emotion she had displayed with him yet.

When she started grinding her hips and giggling lecherously, however, he drew the line. The flat look he gave her made the elder Nekoshou stop her gyrating, but it did not stop the massive blush that crept across her face when she felt his natural reaction.

"Meeeeow~!" Kuroka breathed heavily, panting a bit as she forced herself to calm down, "How do you even get pants on packing this kind of heat?"

"Very carefully. It can be a pain, sometimes." Minato admitted lowly, turning his head to the side to hide the dusting of crimson that sprang across his cheeks. Kuroka laughed lowly before resting her head in the crook of his shoulder, refusing to get up from her position until she was sure she wasn't going to start crying again.

 **[EX]**

"Okay, when you said neighbors, I didn't think this is what you meant." Minato admitted as he stepped out of the front doors to regard the two buildings that had been erected on either side of his, each with different crests engraved upon the front of them. One was the Gremory family sigil, while the other was the Sitri.

Azazel and Sirzechs stood next to one another with rather pleased looks on their faces while Serafall was still giving him the stink eye, no longer acting cute and bubbly around him. Minato just stared at the woman until she looked away after gritting her teeth and blushing slightly, most likely from embarrassment on being challenged so blatantly.

Say what you will, but Minato had the ability to make people feel stupid by just looking at them long enough. Silent judgment was the harshest, after all. It was a pretty useful skill, but it seems that out of all the people that were still susceptible, Issei had grown an immunity.

It was like he knew exactly how stupid he was and didn't argue with Minatos judgment. That was likely the smartest thing he could do.

"It isn't going to be a problem, is it?" Sirzechs questioned, holding his hands on his hips as he squinted his eyes to look at the Gremory Tower, "I mean, I can move it over a bit I guess. Azazel, how much time are we looking at?"

"Well, Little D, probably another couple of hours." Azazel answered while stroking his weak beard, "At least."

"I am not Death." Sirzechs pointed out as if Azazel had grown a second head.

"Oh, I am well aware." Azazel grinned, planting both hands on his hips in triumph when Sirzechs seemed to understand the insult.

"It's on, Mini-D." Sirzechs ground out before launching himself at Azazel, grappling him into a headlock as the two began to fight like school children.

When Serafall began to cheer on Sirzechs while Vali, who Minato could have sworn was not there a second ago, came to give verbal reinforcement to his superior, Minato threw his hands up in defeat and walked away from the soon to be four way brawl in his front yard. Sona and Rias each gave him a sheepish look from the front doors of their respective homes, waving to him nervously as he returned back to his office.

The fight did not end for many, many hours. Minato even caught Bennia and Xenovia placing bets on who they thought would win.

When he saw Azazel and Sirzechs next, they were each nursing two black eyes each and seemed to be missing a few teeth. Each were drunkenly leaning on each other and singing the most god awful tune Minato had ever heard, swaying back and forth and spilling their drinks everywhere as they swayed.

Minato took a seat next to the two and ordered a shot of the strongest in the bar, finding that the day he had was one of the strangest, and he knew it would only get worse from there. To commemorate his new found fatherhood, to commemorate the life he left behind. Most of all, to commemorate his family, which seemed to grow by the week.

Minato held his glass up and examined the amber liquid within with keen interest. Azazel and Sirzechs seemed to think he was calling for a cheer, so they both slammed their glasses into his with a loud whoop before throwing their heads back and chugging the contents.

Minato smiled weakly before throwing his head back and downing his own.

It wasn't strong enough.

"Heyyy, you guys! I got, like, this yacht... yeah? Who wants to go fuggin' fishin, man?" Azazel slurred, wiggling his eye brows as if it would make the offer more enticing. Minato knew that Nyx would keep Ophis and Lilith occupied for a little while, and fishing sounded like the most normal thing he could do with his life at that point.

"I'm okay with this." Minato nodded his head in acceptance, sliding his glass back to the dashing skeleton that tended the bar. After doing his best to help the two to their feet, they were off.

Sirzechs and Azazel didn't catch anything, but Minato caught something that HAD to be a mutation.

"HOLY SHIT, EVEN THIS FISH IS BIGGER THAN ME!" Sirzechs shouted in amazement and horror, dropping to his knees while holding his head as he stared at the strangest creature that had to have existed on earth.

Azazel, in between his superlative laughing fits, was of mind that they kill it with fire, and eat it of course, but Minato put that to an end quickly by releasing the fish before they could do so.

'I feel your pain, fish. I feel your pain.' Minato thought morosely as 'THE' abomination disappeared beneath the waves, off to ruin whatever poor fishes ass that caught its fancy once more.

Moby Dick wasn't a whale after all.


	33. Necropolis

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **3**_ _ **3,**_ _ **Necropolis**_

 _F_ _rank Horrigan, I like the way you think. I saw that someone wanted to see the pimp cane Big D had by his seat_ _get_ _turn_ _ed_ _into the_ _T_ _hreaded_ _C_ _ane, so_ _I can use that as homage. After this story is completed, I MIGHT be able to make a story about good ole' Big D taking a trip to Yharnam._ _We will see._

I have been limiting the summoning of Persona to focus on individual growth first. I want Minato to be known for more than just summoning other beings to deal with his problems. I got some work done with just physical attacks and buffs throughout a majority of Tartarus, so how I imagine Minato might not be how others have been portraying him. Also, the Arcana are already represented within Minato, as he HAS completed all of the Social Links prior to this story. It wouldn't make sense to reuse them.

The lack of connection to the Persona Universe, if you can really call it that, is on purpose. The Persona world and its way of combat, such as switching between Persona to change his skill set, is no longer an option. Due to his awakening as a returned Thanatos, he cannot just 'switch' Persona at this point, at all. He can physically summon them into the real world, flesh and blood summoning, and that is about it. I like the way A Demon amongst Devils portrayed him, but that type of Minato has already been done too many times for me to do it.

I will just stick with the 'Bond' route that Asia, Bennia and the Grim Reapers took. An Oath system would work better than physical options, as a few have pointed out. I don't know about a ritual, though. Perhaps at a later time, when he is further aware of his 'Domain' so to speak.

When I say main waifu, I of course meant the first, not one that is above the others. Minato isn't going to play favorites, don't worry.

Lucifer is better as someone to rely on for paperwork than Ravel, considering he was the leader of the Devils for a hell of a long time and not just a noble. I have a different plan for the Phenex than just the same old use her as a secretary route.

His energy hasn't gained complete sentience, really. Think of 'Humanity', if you must.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Minato was having another one of THOSE days. He had Lucifer helping him with his paperwork, going through the many different party invitations being sent by various Devil families and other groups, to the point that Minato was sure that was all the Devils did with their free time. The Youkai sent him another letter, and this time he made sure to set them to where he could actually see them and not forget about them again.

"WHAT THE HELL, SENPAI?" Issei yelped with heat in his voice, dashing madly into Minatos office before slamming his hands onto the desk, kicking up a large bit of the paperwork Minato had to deal with for the Alliance, "WHY HIM?!"

"I am unsure of what you are talking about, Issei." Minato tilted his head to the side to get a good look at the teenager, who seemed to begin breathing even heavier than before, ignoring the fact that Lucifer had caught every single piece of paper that had been flung from his desk with one hand.

"YOU GAVE GASPER THE ULTIMATE BLESSING, WHILE LITTLE OLD ME just got some fancy dragon form!" Issei was practically crying at this point, having forgotten his anger while dropping to his knees, a rain cloud of negative emotions forming above his head as it soaked him in its tears, "You... He... He slapped me in the face with it when he turned around to run! It was a monster! I... I... I just don't understand! I was minding my own business when I saw him come in! I thought, you know what, I want to scare him, so I slipped into the water and waited until he got close! I jumped out of the water, screamed, and then... then..."

"You are going to have to elaborate a bit more." Minato was sort of interested to see what was driving Issei to tears, hoping to capitalize on it himself for later use, "Are you sure it was little, itty-bitty Gasper?"

"Little?! ITTY BITTY?! HAH! THERE AIN'T A DAMN THING LITTLE ABOUT WHAT I JUST SAW!" Issei screamed in abject horror, his eyes wide before he rose from the ground and pointed at Minato shakily, "It was the biggest, meanest thing I have ever seen. A god damned Dinosaur! I... feel so inadequate, I... why!? WHY HIM? I can't look him in the eyes after... after..."

Issei pointed to his forehead after lifting his bangs, where the most curiously shaped bruise was beginning to form. Minato blanched, while Lucifer seemed like he was incredibly interested in the particular shape. "Oh, my... Dinosaur indeed!" The leering smile of the Father of Lies was making Issei extremely uncomfortable.

"Issei, take your shattered pride and get out of my office."

 **[EX]**

"I am sorry, Gasper." Minato murmured, his hands clasped before him as he rested his head against his closed hands, "I did not know this would happen."

"It's okay, it could be worse." Gasper admitted, his smoky voice a few notes deeper than before, "I am still me, I just... can't wear my cute clothes anymore."

Gasper looked almost like a guy, if an incredibly doll-like, androgynous one, for the first time in his life. Instead of wearing his usual clothing of the female uniform from Kuoh, he was dressed in a dark purple button down shirt and a pair of black slacks, his legs crossed uncomfortably as he sat across from Minato. The clothing was not of a modern design, and looked like it came straight from ages past. It seems that none of his skirts were proper attire any longer, if what Issei said is true.

It was starting to look like it was.

"Do... you have any advice for me?" Gasper eventually questioned, a blush on his face as he leaned forward a bit, "I mean... how do you deal with this?"

Minato looked to his left and then right conspiratorially before leaning forward and cupping one of his hands, as if it would prevent others from listening in. Despite the fact that Gasper and Minato were the only ones in his office, it was better to be safe than sorry as far as supernatural hearing was concerned.

"The waist band tuck."

Gasper nodded his head sagely and leaned back in the chair, uncrossing his legs as he did so. "I feel so weird now, Senpai. I can look people in the eyes without freaking out, and I've only had to hide in my box four times today!"

"You don't seem to have a hard time talking to me." Minato noted, idly shuffling through the many papers on his desk before setting them off to the side, having already been signed and dated. The paperwork needed to keep the Alliance up to date was starting to become aggravating.

"Of course not, you are... one of my only friends." Gasper admitted, looking to the side a bit. His crimson eyes seemed to mist up a bit before he returned his gaze to Minato, "You took the time to get to know me, and you didn't make fun of me for wearing cute clothes. I am your number one fan, even if I can't wear my favorite panties now because of you."

"Wow, Gasper. That's... a real shame. How about I make it up to you?" Minato offered, unclasping his hands before stretching them out a bit, as if he were about to make an enticing offer, "How would you like to become my... apprentice, of sorts?"

"Apprentice? You mean it?" Gasper had stars in his eyes, and the way his face lit up was almost as if he had become an angel, "You aren't just fibbing?"

"I wouldn't offer it if I didn't mean it, Gasper. You have an energy most similar to mine, as well as deep pools to go along with it. All we need to work on is spell work, casting speed and get you a sturdy weapon to use." Minato rose from his desk and approach one of the two large bookshelves behind him, grabbing an older, leather bound tomb from the top shelf before sitting back down at the desk.

"I would be honored!" Gasper cried, bowing his head lowly before rising, "Thank you, Death-Senpai!"

"It is the least I can do, Gasper." Minato replied easily, opening the book as the two began to discuss what the apprentice-ship would entail.

Starting the next day, Gasper began to learn what it meant to stand on his own two feet. Minato, however, had a feeling that all was not forgiven.

 **[EX]**

"You know, I questioned your sanity before. I am starting to question it even more. Such things should not be possible, Sirzechs. You have surpassed your normal levels of stupidity, and wandered into the depths of madness." Minato intoned as he looked down at the flier Sirzechs handed him, then back to the Crimson Satan.

"That's... really harsh, D. It hurts me, right here." Sirzechs pointed to his chest, directly above his heart, "I mean, come on! Think of the adults!"

"I am. That's why I am saying this should not happen. Period." Minato crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head in the negative, "No. YOU think of the adults. This is going to just... no."

"Oh, but you see... it wasn't me who came up with it. I think it was hinted at on a certain website ran by a certain Dhamphir we both know?" Sirzechs grinned, placing his hands on Minatos desk as he leaned forward a bit, "Are you calling your little protege a liar?"

"Ah, I see." Minato nodded sagely before looking back down to the flier. 'That explains... everything. Gasper, I underestimated your spite.'

Upon the page was six men in rather tight spandex, each doing one form of ridiculous posing or another.

"Please, D? Your fans are already threatening a complete boycott in the Capitol if we don't do something." Sirzechs even quivered his bottom lip. It was absolutely pathetic, and Minato wanted to slap the man silly for thinking that he could even pull that look off.

The only man Minato knew who could pull off that type of innocent look would be that doe eyed Angel Michael. How a man could seem so chill about absolutely everything all the time was beyond Minato. It was like he was bipolar or something, as the many texts and voice mails he has gotten from the man asking for advise on the most ridiculous things let him know.

No, Minato did not know if ALL dogs had to go to Heaven, and he didn't bother replying to the question either. Let Michael figure it out.

"I... do I have to?" Minato questioned in a strained voice, looking back down at the center uniform and the rather revealing spandex uniform he would be expected to wear for the stupid television show, "I don't have to wear that exact uniform, right?"

"Oh no, if I have to wear it, YOU have to wear it." Sirzechs seemed to lose his amusement real quick, giving Minato a look that could have frozen Hell twice over. "You think I am any happier about this? Even my Satan Red uniform isn't that tight."

"From what I hear, I think I can understand why you are unhappy." Minato noted as if he were just making a casual observation and not questioning the manhood of a friend. "I suppose it cannot be helped, then."

"That means you'll do it?" Sirzechs questioned happily, his face lighting up as he held his hand out to his right, where an extremely tight looking suit of black and a heavy looking skull shaped helmet appeared, highly detailed and almost robotic looking in design.

"Put this on, we don't have much time. I need to call Azazel and have him and Vali meet us in the Sitri territory. Rias has already told me to take Kiba, and Gasper admitted he would be joining as well, so let's get this show on the road!" Sirzechs wasted no time in slapping Minato in the chest with the spandex uniform while placing the skull helmet on the desk heavily.

Minato looked down at the uniform in his hands and felt like he would shed a tear, knowing that after this moment, he was going to be haunted by the experience.

'Oh Gasper, you have NO idea what you have done.' Minato thought to himself as his insides went numb, stepping from around his desk to be whisked away by the Crimson Satan.

 **[EX]**

"Again, Xenovia." Minato called out, the long blade in his hand holding back the full force of Durandal as she flung herself forward once more.

The executioner was panting heavily, covered in small cuts and bruises while Minato stared impassively at the blue haired teenager.

Xenovia let out a shout before jumping backwards, slicing her blade horizontally through the air as she did so. A small crescent of flames erupted from the blade as she did so, forcing Minato to swing his blade upwards to prevent the attack from hitting him. She continued her assault, this time stabbing her blade into the earth.

The ground began to split in two directly beneath the feet of Minato, unbalancing him and causing him to sway to the right to reaffirm his center of balance. The moment Xenovia noticed that he shifted his attention away from her, she launched herself forward and brought her blade downwards once more.

At the very last second, Xenovia brought her blade away from him, veering it off course to deliberately miss him when she noticed him not bringing up his guard.

Instead of saying anything, Minato dispersed his weapon and continued to watch Xenovia, who stared at him wearily.

"I... I could have..."

"But you didn't." Minato noted, stepping from the ruined patch of land while closing the distance between the two of them a bit, "I needed to see for myself."

"See what, My Lord?" Xenovia questioned, sealing Durandal away back inside of the pocket dimension created to contain the weapon, "Have I... done something?"

"Nothing of the sort." Minato admitted, shaking his head in the negative as he stood just two feet from the girl, his hands in his jacket pockets. "I want to understand you a bit better, if you don't mind me asking you a few questions?"

"I do not mind, My Lord. I will answer anything you ask of me." Xenovia answered quickly, standing straighter while clasping her hands at her side.

Minato shook his head in the negative, "You don't have to stand at attention, not for me. What is your dream, Xenovia?"

Xenovia relaxed a bit, her shoulders sagging as she crossed her arms under her bosom, "I wish to bear your child, My Lord."

"..." Minato did not respond at first, staring at her as if he had misheard, "What was that?"

"I wish to bear your child, My Lord. My dream, before I became an exorcist for the Church, was to bear powerful children. The stronger, the better. Once I was excommunicated, I realized that I could now pursue that dream!" Xenovia declared proudly, one hand clasped in front of her while her other hand came down to rest on her hip.

"I see. Why me?" Minato had to sit down for this one. Patting the earth next to him, Xenovia moved until she was by his side.

"I cannot think of a more loving, caring and powerful figure to bear a child with than the God I serve. You, My Lord, are the only one I can imagine starting a family with. Lilith is easily the strongest child I have ever seen, and if she is an example of what I can expect, then I wish to get started as soon as I can so we can bear many children together." Xenovia was very firm in her admission, having absolutely no shame in her proclamation.

Minato did not sense a shred of a lie in her words. 'She is absolutely serious about this. Oh boy.'

"That is a very bold thing to say, Xenovia."

"I- I do not wish to overstep my boundaries! I beg your forgiveness!" Xenovia seemed quick to move until she was bowing with her head touching the earth in front of the seated form of Minato.

"Ah, no... you misunderstand." Minato admitted while reaching out to tap the girl, getting her attention once more, "Stop bowing. Xenovia, I do not wish to have a child just yet. However," He amended upon seeing the sad look on her face, "If you would like, we can... get to know one another better, as people do before such things."

Xenovia had teary eyes when she nodded her head, a happy smile on her face. She might not be getting her children just yet, but she was being given the opportunity to perhaps have them later. It was enough for her. "I would love that, My Lord."

"Good. Are you hungry? I could go for a quick snack." Minato admitted, standing after a few seconds and holding his hand out for her to take, "I saw a new McRonalds on the way here, and it has been ages since I have eaten something greasy."

"Asia is a bit of a stickler for healthy foods, isn't she?" Xenovia questioned with a giggle, allowing Minato to help her to her feet before brushing herself off. She looked down at her rather dirty uniform, then back to Minato, who was still as clean as always.

With a snap of his fingers, her clothing seemed to be repaired after a dark violet magic circle appeared, bearing the symbol of a metal skull in the middle of it and broke just as quickly, releasing particles of purple and black to finish the magic.

"What spell was that?" Xenovia questioned curiously, feeling at the repaired sections of the clothing, "It feels like new."

"I call it 'Dress Create'. The irredeemable pervert Issei mentioned he created a technique that allowed him to strip his female opponents of their clothing with a single hit. I wish to avoid that happening to my own Servants if I can." Minato admitted, "It was easy to create, unsurprisingly. The Devil system of magic is much easier to use than other systems, I've found."

"I see. I will be sure to be on alert around Hyoudou-San, then." Xenovia noted while nodding her head in the affirmative, finding that such a technique could be devastating to those who had a shred of dignity in them.

The two shared many burgers before returning home, arm in arm as they talked about everything and nothing in particular. Minato made plans on asking the girl out for another burger run later.

 **[EX]**

"I was not expecting this of you, Sona." Minato admitted as he sat as still as he could, facing out upon a false, purple sunset over a crystal blue lake. It seemed that while it was true that the underworld lacked large bodies of water, it was most certainly not true of smaller ones.

"I admit, it is a hobby of mine." Sona admitted softly, chiseling away lightly at a large piece of ice quickly but skillfully.

A large chunk of ice that was slowly becoming the perfect likeness of Minato himself.

It took only ten more minutes for her to complete the last of the detailed, busy work of the piece before he was allowed to turn and admire it.

"It's amazing." Minato had to stop himself from raising his voice physically, stepping forward to get a better look. Every fold in his clothing was present, every detail about him was exact.

"Thank you, Minato," Sona had a light dusting of a blush scattering across her cheeks when she spoke, "I am glad you think so."

Sona knelt down to etch something unto the surface of the ice sculpture, using a rune covered kris to do so. "This will preserve the sculpture and keep it from melting." Sona explained after seeing Minato lean down to get a better look, "My family has always been great with ice magic, though my skills lie more in water magics."

Minato noticed that she was a bit nervous, perhaps by his close proximity. He returned to his full height and took a step back, not wanting to invade her personal space. "I have not learned any water magics yet. Would you be willing to demonstrate?"

Sona hid her disappointment in seeing him take a step back, but saw an opportunity to impress him with a flashy technique or two. "I can do that, easily."

The Sitri heir took a step towards the dock and held out her right hand to the water, her index finger tracing along its surface in her vision. After a few seconds of building her energy, Sona released it in the form of three different magic circles, deep blue in color, appearing thirty or so feet away.

The circles shattered, and from the release of energy came the churning of the large lake before the two. Three massive serpents of water rose from the depths, and Minato could even see a few strange fish floating within the creations as if nothing were wrong with being a part of a snake.

The three serpents began to coil around one another, forming a knot and uncoiling just as quickly, repeating in multiple patterns before beginning to release high pressure streams of water from their mouths to the surface of the lake.

Sona let them return under the water before dispersing, giving them a flawless exit so to speak instead of allowing them to break apart and rain water downwards upon the surface.

It was one of the most impressive displays of technique that Minato had seen yet as far as magic went.

Minato could tell it did not as much of her reserves as it should have, perhaps indicating that she had a stronger affinity for water techniques than she let on. The blasts of water seemed like they could easily cut through flesh, though he was unsure if the technique was limited to aquatic locations.

"I am impressed, Sona. That is one of the best displays of control I've seen, and I have faced down many powerful beings." Minato complimented, meaning every word of it. Most of his attacks were 'release' types and not 'sustain' types like the one Sona wielded.

Sona almost seemed bashful for a moment before she accepted the praise with grace. "I have been training harder than normal lately. I need to be stronger for my Peerages sake."

"Strength for the sake of others. You have your heart in the right place, Sona. I am most curious to see if I have any skill in water techniques, if you would be willing to teach me a simple one? I am willing to teach you something in return."

Even though she knew she would be training under him in a few days, the offer to learn a technique from him was too tantalizing to pass up. "I would be delighted. What type of water technique would you like to try?"

Minato and Sona sat over the lake long into the night, watching as the illusory moon rose over the deeply purple night sky of Hell, each doing their best to shoot each others rapidly moving orbs of water floating over its surface.

That night, Sona practiced grasping out at her shadow, allowing a single, little orb of inky black to stretch out to meet her hands. 'It tickles.' Sona giggled to herself as the little black sprite danced on her palm calmly, as if waiting for her orders.

 **[EX]**

"Alright, Bennia, coast is clear." Minato whispered almost inaudibly as he hopped the fence without much effort while Bennia just floated over it lazily. The petite Grim Reaper approached the back door of the home the two were sneaking up on and held her hands outward.

A small, dark purple magic circle appeared and disappeared quickly before she reached out and slid the door open, allowing Minato and Bennia to slip into the home as slick as grease, sliding the door shut behind them.

Bennia had approached him in a rage earlier that day, saying that this particular human had been picking on Mil-Tan harshly for the last week to the point that the man didn't want to leave his home anymore. Mil-Tan had been one of the avid devotees to Thanatos, offering help at the local orphanage and ran a small charity to help feed the homeless in the eastern sector of the city, and Minato was not going to let this particular person get away with picking on his cultist.

After Bennia finished her rant, Minato already had his plan in place. She admitted that this human, Ryusuke, had made fun of Mil-Tans uniform and then even went as far as insulting the rest of his cult as well by calling them all a bunch of 'Goth wierdos'.

His followers were not Goths, and they were not... okay, Mil-Tan was weird, but so was everyone else in this world.

Taking the stairs upwards, Minato ghosted into the room of the sleeping man before frowning at the rather ugly figure before him.

Ignoring the sleeping figure for a moment, he slid the closet door to his right open, revealing the many business suits the man owned. With a light application of his magic, Minato once again casted his 'Dress Create'. Instead of repairing damage clothing, however, it acted to replace every single bit of clothing with the same Magical Girl uniform that Mil-Tan was so fond of. For good measure, Minato allowed the magic to create a Magical Girl staff, which he walked over to the bed with before placing it gently into the arms of the man.

Snapping his fingers, the clothing of the skinny, hairy man was also replaced with the uniform, even down to the underwear just for extra spite.

"Alright, Bennia. You're up." Minato whispered after taking a few steps back, allowing for the Grim Reaper to take as many pictures with her phone as she could after putting him in more and more embarrassing positions. Apparently the girl was great with sleeping spells, as the man did not move an inch despite her manhandling of him.

Minato made a note to be a bit more weary of sleeping around Bennia.

"Alright, by your leave, Master." Bennia eventually relented in taking more photos before walking away from the scene of their crime.

The next morning, those same pictures were stapled to every light post in town thanks to the help of the Grim Reapers.

Minato was amused, seeing so many of the pictures out and about while Mil-Tan was prancing proudly through the street once more.

No one in Kuoh made fun of Mil-Tan from that point on.


	34. Reminisce

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **3**_ _ **4,**_ _ **Reminisce**_

I think we are far enough along for me to begin to delve into the heavier aspects Minatos abilities.

The Devil is a part timer is hella fun to watch, especially the abridged version. I admit, Maou from Dpt and Kirito from Sao-A are the two main people I think of when I made the personality of Big D, the older one that is.

The scene and name of the restaurant is just homage.

Minato basically absorbed the Persona Thanatos into himself after his transformation into his 'God' form. I hinted at it when he was missing from the Persona that crowded around Minato and Big D in the Sea of Souls that chapter.

Hypnos is the twin of Thanatos, as far as this story is concerned, so no Takaya clones are going to be showing up. It wouldn't really make sense for that to happen, at least not to me. The rest of the siblings will play their parts in the story, we just aren't quite there yet.

I am not going to be addressing any more questions about Messiah from this point on. He has his part in the story, whether it has already been filled or not is left unsaid.

Maou-D is meant to be pronounced 'Mighty', you'll understand when you see it. Make an acronym for the name and you will understand the joke.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Minato was having a bit of an awkward day, to say the least. He woke up to not only Ophis and Lilith curled into him but somehow Kuroka as well, acting as his pillow as his head rested upon her bosom. It was not the worst way one could wake up, but it was not how he fell asleep.

His morning ritual consisting of making sure Ophis or Lilith stayed out of the bathroom as he was bathing was not disturbed, nor was his dressing and departure to the dinning hall where quite a few began to gather for breakfast daily. Sona, Tsubaki, Kiba and Koneko were the only Devils that had shown up, the rest seemingly skipping out for one reason or another.

It didn't bother Minato any, as it just meant less mouths to feed. Sona and Rias had insisted upon paying for the food that Lucifer and Asia cooked for them, and Minato did not turn down the offer. It was expensive, feeding more than a dozen people multiple times a day.

Bennia was refusing to look him in the eyes, as were three of the Devils that he had come to associate with. Koneko, however, seemed to be the only one who was bold enough to approach him, even going so far as to drag him from the house, leaving Nyx to distract Ophis and Lilith with a new flavor of Marshmallows.

Seeing as it had been quite some time since he took a stroll with the young Nekoshou, he splurged a bit and bought Koneko as many sweets as she wanted. It ended up being expensive enough to leave a high end salary-man hungry for a week, but the way her face lit up made it worth it.

The two found themselves walking around town idly with no real direction in mind, going as far as walking to the docks and then back in the direction that the Cult of Thanatos gathered in. Asia could be heard giving her sermon, mentioning the names of the two Dragon Gods in one way or another from what Minato and Koneko could hear from the entrance to the wooded area.

Minato shrugged his shoulders when Koneko gave him a questioning look, as he saw no harm in what Asia was doing. He had moderated what Asia could and could not reveal, as well as tried to steer the growing Cult into a positive direction instead of otherwise.

Twenty or so minutes later found Koneko acting as a space heater for him as she rested her head on his chest. Minato had led them to the Gallery, one of his favorite places to laze around and think in. She sat in his lap once more, though she did not have the habit of grinding her hips like her sister seemed to display.

'Just what is going on with them?' Minato thought to himself, idly running his gloved hand through the hair of the petite Nekoshou while his other hand rested upon her back, 'Did I do something to... oh, no. Please tell me Gasper didn't...'

"Koneko, you wouldn't happen to know of the website being run by Gasper... would you?" Minato questioned with ever increasing nervousness.

She wiggled her hips a little bit as if she were checking something, and after a few seconds, she nodded her head minutely. "Yes. It's really popular."

'This explains so much.' Minato thought with a frown on his face, ignoring the fact that Koneko just proved him wrong about her lack of similarities to her sister. 'Gasper, this means War.'

No wonder the Devils wouldn't look him in the eyes. If Minato was honest, he would have a hard time looking him in the eyes after seeing what was most likely the most embarrassing hour of his life as well.

"Who all has seen it?" Minato questioned lowly, stopping his hair petting for a moment to allow the girl to look up at him, still blushing rather heavily.

"Everyone." Koneko admitted, averting her eyes a bit before pushing her face back into his chest to hide it once more. She didn't admit to having saved the video to her phone, nor what she did with it.

"I will never live this down." Minato lamented, hanging his head so that his face was buried in the white hair of the Nekoshou.

He didn't seem to understand the fact that the number of fans he had in the Underworld exploded once more. It seems that the adults needed entertainment just as much as the children, and that while Magical Girl related television was great, nothing beat five well endowed men and one not so well endowed man beating up muscular 'bad guys' in nothing but tight spandex and heavy looking helmets while the red one kept shouting about things like friendship, chivalry and justice. Minato did his best to stay silent throughout the entire ordeal, finding that his 'companions' spoke enough that it was not needed. Gasper had even gotten into character well enough to ignore his shyness the moment the helmet was placed on his head, inflicting the most brutal of the accidental injuries that came with supernatural beings beating one another up for entertainment.

Minato had absolutely no idea that people were into that kind of thing. A petition had been signed by too many to further ignore, and the die had been cast. Thus began the reign of the Super Maou D Gang, topping the entertainment charts of Hell among the Devils and Fallen in just one night.

 **[EX]**

Minato sat alone in the large void of colorful blackness that allowed him passage between different areas disconnected from one another, his legs crossed and his palms pressed together almost as if he were praying. All around him, what seemed to be shadowy figures rose up unsteadily from the pools of darkness, only to collapse and fade away.

The humanoid shadows continued to crawl their way from the darkness until one by one, they stood before Minato. Circular white eyes that appeared to contract and expand unsteadily stared downwards at the being that called vacantly.

Minato regarded the many figures before allowing his stream of energy going into them to diminish, causing the beings to once more fade away. Closing his eyes, Minato went back to channeling his energy, this time changing the shape as best as he could. Instead of humanoid shadows of his size appearing from the darkness around him, this time it was smaller, thinner figures that rose from the umbrageous pools of black.

They too, appeared to be a human, though their hands were shaped in the form of scythes instead of claws. One by one the figures flickered, twitched and bobbed, as if growing antsy at being created for nothing. Instead of allowing them to collapse, however, Minato puppeted the many creatures by pushing his own will into the empty vessels of shadow that stood around him in a circle.

Minato pushed himself up from his kneeling position and eyed the dozen figures that only reached to his knees in height before pointing his finger to a distant shape that rose as well. Acting as a single unit, the scythe armed phantasms raced forward and began to tear into the shape, each action being remotely controlled by Minato.

It was mentally taxing, trying to maintain a link with so many different bodies despite how small they were, but progress was being made rapidly. Another three shapes rose from a pool of darkness, flickering figures that seemed to be canine in nature.

The three shadowed wolves launched themselves at the large figure that the tiny phantasms were working on, adding to the strain on Minatos mind just a bit.

He continued for another two hours on manipulating the shapes and sizes of the phantasms he could summon, dubbing them 'Shades' in his own mind. It was as he was leaving the corridor that seemed to stretch on for eternity that he stopped, if only for a moment.

A tiny Dragon, no larger than the size of a few of his fingers with circular eyes floated in front of him at eye level. It was far more solid looking than the rest of the shades and seemed to be a natural resident and not something he created, not flickering like smoke in the wind as the others did. It was matte black, however, and besides having the shape of a Dragon, Minato could not make out any details of the creature.

"How curious." Minato murmured, reaching out to stroke the head of the tiny dragonoid shade, only for it to latch onto his finger like a lizard would and begin to climb towards his shoulder. It disappeared beneath his jacket, though Minato could still see its tiny, white eyes staring back at him from the shaded inside of his jacket.

If it didn't remind him of Lilith, Minato would have been a bit concerned about the strange, tangible creature that hitchhiked its way into his home from the corridor of darkness, and eventually, onto the head of his High Priestess, Asia.

She had expressed her gratitude by giving him a hug and as she was letting go, a kiss on the cheek. Asia giggled and took her new little pet, 'Tanato' to show Bennia, whom Minato immediately heard start complimenting the little creature after it apparently gave Xenovia a wedgie for getting too close to Asia.

 **[EX]**

"Really, Kuroka?" Minato questioned, sitting down at the edge of the girls rather messy bed, "I hope this wasn't just to try and tease me."

He received a text from the woman to come to her room to receive the training he had been interested in, and lo and behold, she stood in all of her glory, naked as the day she was born.

"No, it is needed for this, I promise. I am going to be teaching you the easy way, big man~!" Kuroka promised as she crawled onto the bed behind him. "You need to get rid of those thick clothes you are so fond of for this."

Minato sighed before removing his jacket and the small waistcoat, before setting them to the side. After removing his gloves, he slowly, almost painfully, began to remove the apricot and shirt before he was clad in nothing but his black pants and wool socks.

"Aww, that's all you are going to take off for me, Nya~?" Kuroka had to admire his form for all of its glory, for it was one born from combat. He was not overly muscular, but he certainly wasn't emancipated or scrawny. His torso, arms and back were criss-crossed in scars, some small and others not. Burn marks splattered his flesh as if fire had fallen in droplets while scorch marks born from electricity branched out on his right shoulder blade.

He was heavily toned, and the way he held himself was born from hundreds of hours of conflict, if not thousands. Shoulders tensed, head straight and feet tucked in such a way as to spring away in a moments notice.

"You need to relax for this, Nyaa~." Kuroka breathed in his ear as she pressed her body unto his back before wrapping her long legs around his waist. "Since you refuse to take off your pants, this will have to do."

"Kuroka, have I ever told you how warm you are?" Minato questioned idly, trying his best to ignore the fact that he had a beautiful, cat eared woman clinging to his body in one of the most intimate ways he has ever been held in.

"Oh, you like this? We can make it a daily ritual, if you'd like." The Nekoshou was quick to try and capitalize on his time, and Minato couldn't find a good reason to say no.

Learning Senjutsu was of vital importance, especially concerning Koneko. The petite Nekoshou refused to reveal her true nature, hid away from it like a scared kitten. Her near execution before the interference of Sirzechs, at the behest of Kuroka, had shaken her, as did witnessing the deaths of the last twenty Nekoshou that remained of their race.

The Youkai of Korea no longer had any ties to the Youkai of Japan, not after the war held between the two factions fifty years prior. From what Minato could gather of the incident after reading many different perspectives in reports from the time was that the Youkai Matriarch of the Kyoto branch, the mother of the current Matriarch, refused to bow in subservience and marry her youngest daughter to the Patriarch of the Korean Youkai during a peace conference held between the two.

The leader of the Seoul based Youkai refused to meet with her further to form a peace agreement between the two, as he wanted everything for himself without giving anything in turn. It came as far as the Korean Youkai threatening to have the woman killed for something she had said, and thus, the peace treaty was broken before it could form.

Minato wouldn't have bowed either. Instead of kowtowing, the powerful Kyuubi unleashed the full might of her faction upon the heart of the Korean Youkai faction in Seoul the following day, and it was only the element of surprise that won the Japanese based Youkai the skirmish and thus, War.

The Korean Youkai, to this day, had lower numbers than any other faction besides the one headed by Minato himself due to the brutality of the assault.

The Nekoshou were on the front lines of that assault, being the first to appear and the last to disperse. It was a Nekoshou that scored the killing blow against the leader of the Korean Youkai, taking his head clean from his shoulders with a thrown chakram.

The bounties on the Nekoshou, as a result, were the highest in the lands for quite some time, and the younger the Nekoshou that were brought in, the higher the price.

As a result of that, the Nekoshou went into hiding, gaining citizenship in the Bael territory after quite a hefty sum was paid by the collective handful of Youkai left.

It was the former head of the Bael family, Zekram Bael, that ordered the execution of the remaining Nekoshou, leaving Kuroka and Shirone, now Koneko, as the remaining two.

Minato would have preferred that Kuroka be the one to teach Koneko the ways of Senjutsu and then Youjutsu, but the looming War was still at the back of his mind with every step he took. There was no doubt that Hades had many powerful allies, and he doubted it would be a conventional type of conflict anyway. Instead of waiting, Minato was going to try and help the girl along in his own way.

Terrorist attacks on the many different cities of the Devils and the one massive metropolitan area the Fallen controlled was the biggest threat, followed by a direct assault on Kuoh with himself or any of his associates as targets.

He might not be capable of wielding Chakra or learning Youjutsu, as Kuroka called the energy that flowed through her as an undercurrent of her massive Devil reserves and the techniques only used by Youkai, but he could learn to draw upon the power of nature.

"Alright Kuroka, I think I can live with that." Minato relented after pulling himself from his thoughts, knowing that skin to skin contact was hardly a price to pay for the rewards.

Maybe it had to do with who it was who was teaching him. Just maybe.

 **[EX]**

Training a dozen people at once was not as hard as Minato was expecting it to be. Breaking them down into three groups that would constantly rotate their routines rounded off the rough edges in each individual Devils fighting style to the point that the two Peerages could act in tandem with one another almost flawlessly was easy.

If anything, Sona and Rias had a pretty strong task force assembled between the two of them, and if Asia, Bennia and Xenovia acted as support, it furthered the effectiveness even more.

Kiba, Tsubaki, Saji, Xenovia, Bennia, Koneko and Issei had been forced through a magical gauntlet, so to speak, forcing them to not only demonstrate effeciency in at least one type of support spell, but one type of offensive spell as well.

Koneko, Saji and Issei were most comfortable wielding fire, each in different ways. Koneko did not opt for ranged attacks and instead would coat her fists in flames of her own creation, a pale blue in color, that reinforced the damage she dealt tremendously.

Issei and Saji, unlike Koneko, used fire in the form of their Sacred Gear. Saji had the flames of the Prison Dragon that dwelt within his weapon while Issei was able to call upon the Mudo Flame for more than just a projectile. Apparently the teenaged Devil had been given a rather powerful holy blade named Ascalon by the leader of the Angels, a weapon he could now coat in the flames of Death.

Kiba wielded wind like it was a long lost lover, to the point that he could fire crescent beams of cutting force upwards of five feet past the length of his different blades. His speed was further enhanced by the small understanding of wind based magics, allowing him to even remove some of the wind resistance he felt when utilizing his speed in combat, thus allowing him to move that much quicker.

Rias, Akeno, Sona and Asia, however, were forced through the opposite. The training was grueling, though the Devils that showed up did not complain once. Different groups ended up showing up on different days around the end of the week, and thus the training came to a temporary halt to allow the three groups to get back into the swing of attending school once more.

Kuoh Academy finally opened back up and Minato fell back into the normality for a few days, allowing himself to unwind as he went about mingling amongst those that attended. Instead of heading straight home, Minato, Bennia, Asia and Xenovia would stop by the ORC and complete their duties as new members of the club as per Minatos agreement with Sirzechs and Azazel. The Governor General of the Grigori had been present, helping manage the training of the Gremory Peerage on days that Minato was busy.

Things were almost peaceful, if not for the nagging feeling in the back of Minatos head.

 **[EX]**

'I feel like I keep forgetting something.' Minato thought with a frown as he sat at his desk, going over the latest paperwork sent to him by Serafall and Sirzechs from the underworld. He had no idea why Sirzechs needed his permission to plant certain apple trees around the Cult site, but he gave it his stamp of approval and moved on to the next portion of work that needed his attention.

The charity he donated to, the one ran by Mil-Tan, was holding a small party in celebration of their achievements, and Minato made a small mark on his daily planner to attend. It was for a good cause, and the man made a mean salsa dip that Minato wanted the recipe for direly.

The list went on and on to the point that Minato was beginning to feel that something was off with the types of paperwork he was having to deal with lately.

This was not the type of paperwork one had to deal with while running a small faction that lived together in one building. No, this was the type of paperwork one had to deal with if they ran a large city.

'Oh, you sneaky bastards.' Minato thought with a frown as he began to see the bigger picture, going over the paperwork he had filled out already before standing from his desk. Walking to his filing cabinet, Minato removed the manilla folder containing the documents signed by the four leaders as part of the Peace Agreement between them.

"As per this agreement, I, Thanatos, declare I will uptake the running and... maintenance of..." Minato read aloud to himself before sliding the document back into the folder, walking back to his desk and sitting back down heavily.

As of a few weeks ago, Minato was the unofficial God of Kuoh, and thus the domain not held by the Sitri or the Gremory fell to him. That left a large portion of the city now falling under his control, and thus requiring him to deal with the paperwork.

Reaching his hand to the right, he sank his arm shoulder deep into a portal of darkness. On the other side of that portal, his hand appeared behind the head of Sirzechs, who was in the middle of eating what appeared to be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while sitting at his desk.

Minato popped Sirzechs upside the head as hard as he could before withdrawing his hand completely, leaving the crimson haired Satan to deal with the aftermath of peanut butter and grape jelly staining the likely important documents that littered his desk.

He would never know who the culprit was, having not felt the rift form or disappear.

As Minato returned to the large stack of work needed to be gone over, he heard a knocking at his office door, followed by the melodious voice of Lucifer. "My Lord, you have a visitor."

"Odd." Minato murmured, checking his phone for any missed texts. Usually when someone wanted to spend time with him, they would check and make sure he wasn't busy before showing up. It was an unspoken kindness, it seemed, stemmed from the fact that his life was hectic at best, and nightmarish at worst as far as time constraints went.

"Who is it, Lucifer?" Minato eventually questioned, only for the Son of the Mourning to open the door to reveal two different figures Minato was not sure he recognized.

"Thanatos, you look a bit different! I hear you've mellowed out a bit since you've come back, but I had to see it to believe it! Look at you, even starting a family with the Number One Existence!" Came the heavily accented voice originating from the figure in the front. He was an elderly man with a long beard that reached his feet with a strange monocle over one of his eyes.

Behind him stood a silver haired woman with ribbons in her hair, her hands held at her waist obediently as she regarded him back. A simple grey business suit covered her body completely, giving her a professional look that Minato found appealing, if only because it made her look serious.

Minato did not recognize either figure, though he could hazard a guess as to who the elderly man was.

"Odin...?" Minato questioned, disguising it as a statement.

"Damn, you act like you can't remember me, D? What, did all that drinking we did with birdbrain and fire-crotch fry that brain of yours?" Odin questioned while stroking his beard in thought, "I know we threw down like the fucking champions we are, but even I can remember those bad ass nights!"

"I... do not." Minato had to force himself to respond after a few moments of silence. "I apologize, but I remember nothing from before my... sealing." Minato admitted after it seemed like Odin was going to continue his tirade.

"That's a damn shame. The Valkyries haven't forgotten about you, though." The elderly man waggled his eyebrows in emphasis of his words. The woman standing behind him seemed to shift a bit while a small blush danced across her face, causing the insides of Minato to suddenly grow colder than ever.

"Did... I didn't..." Minato questioned the woman, who responded in a rapid shake of her head in the negative, her blush growing slightly.

"Who, this boyfriendless virgin? I bet she wishes she was around during those wild ass times, but no. This one is too nerdy to hang." Odin was quick to put her down, it seems, and the tears that welled up in her eyes followed by her collapse to the ground was just as quick to occur.

'So the oddness is universal here, it seems.' Minato thought to himself in morbid fascination, not knowing how to address the two before him. On one hand, he could invite them into his office and perhaps have Lucifer bring the three a drink, as it seems that Odin was here to exchange pleasantries and not cause a fight.

On the other, he sorely wanted to tell the two to get the hell out of his tower and to not come back. As much as he was leaning towards the second option, he went with the first.

'Oh, the things one does for peace.' Minato thought to himself while waving the two in, giving Lucifer the signal to bring a bottle of the finest wine they had. He had a feeling they would be needing it.


	35. Beyond the Beaten Path

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **35,**_ _ **Beyond the Beaten Path**_

Do you all really want to see Revolver Jesus that bad? I mean... too many of you are requesting it for me to just ignore at this point, as that would be hella rude, dood. If you want, Hypnos can be a mellowed out Takaya clone. I was going to go with an inverted color scheme Minato clone, like a dark tan, red headed, golden eyed, super sleepy and potentially narcoleptic version, but a Takaya look-a-like works as well.

You know that one video of the guy going 'This ain't water big pimpin', this GRAY GOOSE BAY BAYYY.' while driving down the road as an Uber driver or something?

Yeah, that's Odin, basically. One wild ass old man that should have quit about two thousand years ago but still parties harder than anyone else on earth. I mean, he rules Valhalla, what do you expect?

Big D ain't thecrimsonfucker, I like to think of him as... theazurefucker instead. You certainly aren't wrong in a lot of the similarities.

These past few chapters have been focusing a bit on Kuroka, while the next few will focus on others.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

"You are right, Odin, this is not bad at all." Minato noted, taking a small draft from the horn presented to him by the Chief God of the Aesir, "'Sacred Mead', you say?"

"Oh, hell yeah! The Vanir know what they are doing when it comes to making some tasty shit." Odin crowed as he held up his own horn before taking a long drink, nearly draining it in one go.

The two had been sitting there trading stories of the old days. Well, Odin was regaling him of tales that made him seriously hate his past self, if only for the reputation he left behind for Minato to inherit, it seems. Minato couldn't help but listen in shame as Odin listed off the plethora of tales of 'THE Big D'.

Minato did not want to repeat the many atrocities, for that is all they could be called, committed with gusto by his former self. Apparently Thor, to this day, would not show himself at the same time Minato was present, simply due to the fact that Minato wielded a bigger... 'Hammer' than him. Mjolnir was apparently a tool for compensation and not combat. Who knew.

"So now that we have sat and... caught up, what is it you really came for?" Minato questioned idly, swirling the large amount of honey wine in the ornamental horn before setting it on the stand on his desk after taking another very small sip, "I doubt you came all the way from Valhalla to share a drink and catch up."

"Ah, we're getting serious already? You're a damn bummer, Thanatos, what happened to all that fire you used to have?" Odin seemed to sober up the slightest bit rather quickly, setting his own horn down before leaning back in his chair. His attendant, Rossweisse as she introduced herself, seemed rather flustered by the behavior of her Lord, though she did not vocalize her thoughts.

If Thanatos and Odin knew each other personally, apparently as old drinking buddies, then it was not her place to say anything to her Lord about his behavior. Rossweisse also didn't know how to address a being that was known to the Valkyries as the most cherished of all Deities outside of their own Pantheon. As far as a large portion of the older supernatural beings were concerned, Thanatos was always welcome in their homes, and beds.

He seemed completely reserved and even dignified now, much more so than any God or Goddess she had come across yet, outside of two or three. The mentioning of sealed memories certainly explained the change, though Rossweisse could tell there was more to him than he was letting on. His power, the creeping darkness within him, was not corrupted in the slightest. As a matter of fact, the darkness that ran so thickly through his coils and veins was not acting in the same way she would expect it to.

It seems that he has completely subjugated the element to his will, as if it were his own Domain. Rossweisse was unaware of Thanatos having any Domain outside of being the personification of Death, yet the darkness was his, without a doubt. There were other elements, other little hints that let her know there was more, much like Odins in a way.

Odin himself had multiple Domains, ranging from Magic to War, each having their own flavor and texture, if she had to describe them. She couldn't recognize those belonging to Thanatos, as if their natures were being hidden, shrouded by the blackness of his energy protectively. He was a walking void, only letting off a cooling effect around him, as she would expect.

Life was born from heat, activity and movement while Death was still, cold and entropic in nature. Odin had too many different aspects to his energy for it to have the same type of effect, even if Death was one of his own minor aspects.

The silver haired Valkyrie was brought from her thoughts as Thanatos began to speak once more, this time his voice gaining a bit of an edge to it. It seems he grew tired of being regaled of tales from his past, as if he was ashamed to hear of them.

"You will have to forgive me." Minato nodded his head to confirm Odins words, "I have quite a few things I need to complete before the end of the day, and this paperwork isn't going to finish itself."

"You do that shit?" Odin questioned, slapping his hand on his knee as if he were highly amused by the notion, "I just make this _nerd_ here do it for me." The God admitted, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the sad looking Valkyrie.

"We cannot all have great help." Minato intoned while lacing his fingers together. If she was responsible for dealing with his paperwork, as well as acting as his maid, she must truly be a useful person to have around. As it turned out, Lucifer was not as good at paperwork as Minato was expecting. Instead, the Devil seemed to focus solely on cleaning and other duties carried out by a butler, but not a secretary.

Minato needed to fix the issue, and fast. He couldn't keep up with an entire cities worth of spam mail at this point, not by himself.

"Bah, whatever," Odin groused before grasping his horn and finishing off the mead within, "I know you've heard of that Terrorist Group calling themselves the Khaos Brigade, right?"

"Yes. Are you here seeking information?" Minato questioned curiously, thinking over the many secrets extracted from Rizevim forcefully by Lucifer, Ophis and himself. It was not much, no where near enough to satiate his need to know, that was certain. Through Rizevim, Minato was able to learn which factions were working on the side with the Khaos Brigade, even learning that there was a small faction of unfallen Angels within the large organization. How Angels could exist when not loyal to Heaven was something Minato did not understand.

The Hero faction was recovering from their second 'Genocide Gauntlet' as Minato called the forced battle many of the kidnapped, brainwashed and tortured humans were put through. It seems that Cao Cao was becoming even more active than Ophis knew of, even making allies with another unnamed group in a rather close relationship. There were five different leaders within the Khaos Brigade that were vying for control now that Ophis was no longer the leader, trying to steer the powerful Terrorist Organization in their own directions.

Rizevim was one, Cao Cao was another. Hades was independent from the organization, meaning that there were three unknowns that Rizevim was unable to identify due to his own close association with Cao Cao himself and no one else. Between the Hero faction and the Old Maou factions, they represented the strongest force, so the organization was in flux once more.

The Tepes faction, the male dominated Vampire faction that was currently at war with its female counterpart, the Camilla faction, also had ties to the 'Super' Devil, something Minato was quick to share with the Alliance as per his responsibility.

An Egyptian God was working with Hades and Rizevim for a project, though when pressed for information, Rizevim began to sweat most unnaturally while his body began to twitch.

Attaining any more knowledge from the Devil proved to be impossible. As Minato began to press for more information, a curse that had been hidden deep in the soul of the Devil activated itself and devoured the life force of Rizevim before corroding his soul to the point that Minato could not resummon his phantom.

All in all, Minato was furious at the lack of information gained through the prisoner, though he did not let the emotion cloud his judgment when Ophis and he departed from the dark realm. If anything, it seemed Ophis was more upset than he was, considering the fact that when she was not spending time with Lilith, himself or the tiny dragon that rode around on Asias head, she was drifting on her floating device in her room.

"...Maybe? I have been having quite a problem with a small group within the entire organization and I was hoping you would be willing to make a trade." Odin admitted while stroking his beard, the monocle on his eye flashing in the light as if to denote his thoughts, "You give me the info, and I give you Rossweisse the boyfriendless virgin! She is good at cooking, cleaning, dealing with political fallout and paperwork. Sound good, pimpin'?"

If Minato had been overall disturbed by the elderly Gods behavior, he was more so now. 'Did he really just call me that?'

As if Odin was reading his mind, the strange hat wearing God reaffirmed his statement. "You heard me right, I, Odin, am willing to get rid of one of my most problematic, lonely Valkyries if you can tell me just which sons-a-bitches keep KNOCKING ON MY DOOR AT THREE IN THE MORNING! THEY ARE NEVER THERE WHEN I ANSWER! WHO DING DONG DITCHES VALHALLA!?"

"Lord Odin, you must calm yourself! You know what the doctors said about your hern-" Rossweisse looked ashamed more so than embarrassed, and sent a small bow towards Minato as if it would make up for the bipolar, one eyed madman screaming about punks and pointy sticks killing his favorite Valkyrie maid, which was obviously NOT Rossweisse.

"Rossweisse, shut the HELL up!" Odin cut her off quickly, slapping his wrinkly hand over her mouth while giving her the stink eye, "This is why I can't hang with you! You talk about shit no body gives a flying _rats ass_ about!"

Rossweisse looked like she was just a few steps away from a mental breakdown, tears continuing to pool in her baby blue eyes. Minato decided to throw both of them a bone, if it meant getting the old codger and his doe eyed 'whipping girl' from his office that much faster.

"The one with the pokey stick is known as Cao Cao, descendent of Cao Cao. He is a Chinese teenager and the wielder of the 'True' Longinus." Minato noted idly while standing from his desk to walk to his filing cabinet once more. After opening the drawer, Minato stuck his hand all the way to the back and broke the seal placed on the furthest reaches of the cabinet, causing a small manila envelope to appear in his hand.

"This is all the information I have on the Hero Faction, those that keep attacking your home, it seems." Minato informed the elder God while handing him the small folder. It barely contained any information at all, but perhaps it would be a fair trade. Odin got his info, Minato got his peace. Fair.

Odin opened the folder quickly, coming face to face with a picture of the very man that had been trying to assassinate him for the last three nights. "Oh, so that's who ya' really are, you son of a bitch?" Odin questioned madly, a wide smile crossing his face. "As per the agreement, Rossweisse is yours to keep." Odin tried to dismiss the girl, only for Minato to shake his head in the negative.

"No, I am alright. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and apparently we were close enough to share nicknames at some point, correct?" Minato questioned while waving his hands before him, not wanting to 'own' a Valkyrie by any stretch of the word, "I was hoping that you would be willing to enter the Alliance I have formed with the Christian factions."

"You want me to join up with those buncha' bats, crows and goodie goodies?" Odin laughed heavily at the offer, leaning forward and slapping his knees in amusement once more, "You think I've gone senile, don't you?"

"I do not think so?" Minato stated and questioned at the same time, unsure if Odin was truly going senile or not due to not remembering the God nor his 'Absolutely Wild Parties' as he called them, "What I mean to say is no, I do not think you are going senile." Minato amended at last, seeing that Odin was getting close to assuming that Minato just insulted him. Which he did.

"Whatever, so you ain't gonna take this lame ass off my hands?" Odin asked with pursed lips, his one eye closing into a slit as he stared at Minato as if he stole his favorite toy, "You really want me to join your little hippie group instead?"

"We aren't hippies, either. We are peace keepers." Minato nodded his head firmly while waving his hand in a circle as if it would help him further elaborate his statement, "Hades started this, and we plan on finishing it before he can finish us."

"And what does Hades have to do with me?" Odin questioned smugly, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back, "What or who does that boney little bitch have with him that makes you think I'll be interested?"

"How about the fact that Loki, one of your wayward 'Gods', is working with them?" Minato questioned while crossing his leg idly, leaning a bit on his elbow to stretch his back, "I assume I have your attention?"

Odin seemed a bit troubled, and for the first time since he came in, he was more than just a little sober.

"You do." Odin admitted with a frown, leaning forward a bit to listen better. Rossweisse seemed to stand straighter as well, her blue eyes sharpening noticeably.

"How about we sweeten the pot, so to speak," Minato began, leaning forward a bit to humor Odin, "You give me your word that you will meet with the Alliance at least once before saying no, and I will personally help you with your little Hero problem."

"Hmm... you drive a hard bargain, Thanatos. This could upset a lot of different Pantheons even more than you already have, you know. Leaving the Greeks so blatantly, even going so far as having consort with a foreign Deity..." Odin murmured lowly, his single eye closing as his head tilted downwards in thought, "You help me get revenge on the ass hole who killed Hervor and you have a deal, Thanatos."

The two shook hands, and then Minato told the two to get out of his tower. Odin was wise enough to leave quickly, though Rossweisse stayed behind for a few moments, her eyes not leaving Minato.

"You... wouldn't happen to be willing to reconsider, would you?" Rossweisse questioned lightly, not wanting to offend the being still sitting at his desk.

"Reconsider what?" Minato asked curiously, tilting his head a bit as he thought about what she could have meant.

"...Never mind." Rossweisse mumbled almost miserably before following after Odin slowly, a small rain cloud following after her as she went, raining down depression and other sad feelings upon her.

Minato was left alone once more, this time feeling the slightest bit guilty for a reason he couldn't comprehend. 'Did I say something wrong?'

 **[EX]**

"Again, girls." Minato called out, watching as Asia, Bennia and Xenovia nodded their heads before falling into their stances once more.

Each held out their right hands in unison, and before them came a massive magic circle each, bearing a skull with the symbol of infinity in its mouth. The ultraviolet colored magic circles crackled with energy before a torrent of black and purple lightning erupted, firing off in a beam before the three.

The three large beams collided with the mounds of earth that rose from the ground to block them, easily punching through the first. The process repeated four times until the beams of chaotic energy fizzled out, leaving the three girls panting from the exertion.

"Very good job, Asia, Bennia, Xenovia." Minato addressed them individually instead of as a group, eying each of them as he did so.

Like Xenovia, Asia and Bennia now wore a skin tight black leotard of sorts during their training, providing them with more protection than normally offered by mundane clothing. While not strong enough to stop something like the 'Power of Destruction' in any large amounts, it was enough to deflect a large portion of damage away from the wearer before failing.

Minato could not help but admire the forms of the three before stopping himself. 'Get your head straight, Minato.'

"It seems you are able to use that spell easily." Minato noted, examining the damage caused by the training session for the day. Most of the area around them was as dead as dirt, and the soil was upturned, scorched, flooded and frozen in some spots. "I am not surprised, considering each of your energies has become much like my own."

"I still don't understand how it works..." Bennia admitted with a frown, crossing her arms over her chest as she ground her toes into the earth, "Is it darkness, or is it lightning?"

"Both, Bennia." Minato sighed as he tried to explain the technique to the girl one more time. Despite being able to cast it, it seems she still didn't grasp the concept behind its inception. "During my time training the Gremory Peerage the first time, Akeno attempted to teach me to wield 'holy' lightning, something I couldn't use for reasons beyond me at the time."

"Okay... so its... 'unholy' lightning then?" Bennia questioned, tilting her head to the side, "Or what?"

"It's... my type of 'holy' instead of the Christian type of 'holy'." Minato oversimplified, causing the girl to give him the 'Ohhhh' expression before nodding her head rapidly.

"That makes so much more sense than whatever else it was you tried to tell me." Bennia gave Minato a sheepish look in return for the flat one he gave her, "I'm not as smart as Xenovia or Asia, but I was one of the best when it came to spells that can kill things."

Minato nodded his head sagely, not wanting to offend the girl by telling her it wasn't all that complicated at all. Asia and Xenovia seemed to be of the same mind as Minato, giving the purple haired Grim Reaper an almost pitying look.

'We can't all be smart, I suppose.' Minato thought with some amount of fondness, 'But that is Bennia for you.'

"So we can apply it to ice, fire and lightning? Can we make a 'holy' water technique as well?" Asia questioned curiously, almost as if she had an idea in mind.

"Actually, yes." Minato admitted before cupping his hands before him. A magic circle bearing his sigil appeared above his hands and began to deposit a stream of what appeared to be liquid silver from its depths.

It was see through, from what the three could discern, but it held a silver, ethereal sheen inside of it as well. The water sparkled in the light coming from above, casting strange shapes and images upon the area around them.

"It does not hold any special properties besides a light healing effect, it seems. The more energy I pour into it, however," Minato stopped his speech for a second to demonstrate, pushing his shadowed energy into the water with force, "It does something strange."

The silver water began to glow heavily, floating from his hands in droplets before hovering in the air before him. Each drop of water began to solidify before becoming solid, splintery crystals that spread out from the center. Each crystal then shattered, raining down the dust from above.

The landscape around them began to heal, returning life back to the grass and the trees destroyed by the deathly techniques wielded by the four. Soon, the only sign of damage to the landscape was the mounds of earth with vitrified and disintegrated holes straight through their centers, covered in grass and glass.

"Wow, so you can bring life back to barren landscapes too?" Bennia questioned excitedly, clapping her hands rapidly, "That is so useful! Can you use them on seeds?"

"I am unsure, but we can find out. Why?" Minato questioned with a tilt to his head, "Did you want to start a garden?"

"Can we please? Pretty please? Please please please!" Bennia began to beg, her usually droopy, sleepy eyes becoming wide in excitement, "I've always wanted my own garden! Nothing grows in the area around Hades, unlike your forest..."

"Sure, Bennia. How about the four of us go pick out some seeds after this?" Minato questioned before summoning the small magic circle that summoned his healing waters, allowing the three to study it intently. "It is almost like the ice spell, but some of the runes are reversed or even replaced..."

The four continued to train for quite a while that day, though Asia was the only one capable of summoning the water spell by the end of the session. It seemed Xenovia and Bennia, despite having high magical reserves, did not have the same potential for healing as Asia did.

That said, Asia was easily the weaker of the three in terms of physical strength or magical attacks, unless she whipped out her giant cannon rifle, of course. That tended to even the odds rather quickly, leaving the three to be an extremely well balanced team of heavy hitters.

It was only when Minato heard the rumors of 'Baptisms' occurring in the forest did he understand why Asia wanted to learn the technique.

Oh well, it wasn't like it was going to grant any of them some sort of magical powers or anything, just heal any wounds and perhaps give them a small sense of religious ecstasy at most.

 **[EX]**

"You are getting much better at this, Lover~!" Kuroka purred in his ear as he breathed in deeply for a few moments before releasing it evenly. Minato ignored the rumbling in her chest as it pressed into his back, instead focusing on expelling that massive swell of negative emotions trying their best to cloud his mind.

Senjutsu was a difficult art to learn, if only because Kuroka enjoyed teasing him too much. It took a few attempts before he could even feel the energy of nature, to feel the pure taint that touched almost the core of the planet in its depths.

It was still nothing compared to Erebus, to the overwhelming darkness of the Nyx he faced down in the other world. Minato allowed the energy into his body while allowing that taint to break itself against the barriers in his mind, that bulwark that prevented him from being influenced by outside forces any further.

The intake of energy was not enough to make a noticeable change in his presence, but Minato could tell that something was different whenever he drew the power of the earth into his own.

The only way he could test any of his theories was through practicing using magic while under the influence of Senjutsu, which would take at least another week before he was proficient enough to do so.

Letting the gathered energy inside of his body disperse once more, Minato sighed and leaned back into the body of Kuroka, letting her know that he was no longer practicing the techniques she taught him. She laid her face in the crook of his neck before nibbling on his flesh a bit, not enough to draw blood or even puncture him, but enough to get his attention.

"Don't do that." Minato had to force the shiver from his voice as he spoke, "That doesn't help anything."

"Oh, you know you love me, Nyaa~!" Kuroka teased as she traced her rough tongue along the spot she bit, a small bit of saliva trailing from the pink muscle. "It may take me years, but I will have those kittens."

"We will see." Minato murmured to himself as she went back to tracing her hand along his stomach and chest from behind. She moved one of her hands to his face before grasping his jaw and forcing him to turn to face her, only for her lips to capture his once more.

Minato was conflicted for all of a second before he turned his torso a bit to get a better position. As the two motioned to deepen the kiss, a small, blue magic circle appeared beside the head of Minato before the obnoxious voice of Odin ruined the moment being shared between the two.

"Hey, YOU! GUESS WHO IS KNOCKING ON MY DOOR RIGHT NOW?!"

Minato sighed heavily before rising from the position, Kuroka coming with him as he went. "Who was that, Nyaa?"

"Odin. I made a deal to help deal with a problem if he attends a meeting with the Alliance. Seems like the Hero faction is causing problems for the Northern Gods." Minato informed her while putting on his shirt, waistcoat and overcoat before replacing his gloves once more.

"Ohh, Ohh, can I help? Please~?" Kuroka begged as a magic circle appeared above her, causing her black robes and large belt with multiple bells to appear around her body once more. "I need to stretch my legs, I feel like its been forever since I've cut loose!"

Minato thought about it, then thought about it some more before he eventually relented. Nyx had agreed to keep Ophis and Lilith home while Asia, Bennia and Xenovia were asked to stand guard once more while he was away. Lucifer and Euclid were helping stand guard as well, leaving the three towers the most protected buildings on the surface. Usually he would just leave Kuroka to do whatever it was she wished to, and this time, it seemed like she wanted to come with him. Considering that Asgard was far enough away to not alert Koneko to her presence, Minato couldn't find a good reason to say no.

As a matter of fact, he was looking forward to it, now that she had offered to come.

"Sure, Kuroka. Let's go surprise Cao Cao together." Minato allowed, knowing that she was extremely skilled in combat, physical and magical, "This should be fun."

"I think our first date couldn't be anything better, Mina-Kun~!" Kuroka agreed as she nipped at his ear lobe gently after leaning over his shoulder once more, "Let's hurry this along though... I want to get back to what we were doing."

A light blue magic circle appeared before the two before it opened up as if it were a doorway. Rossweisse stood on the other side of the circle, beconning Minato and Kuroka to follow her to the sound of battle that now filled the room.

Minato was glad for the distraction, because he didn't want to tell Kuroka that he wouldn't have minded it either. He needed to get his head together and stop letting her get the best of him, as Minato felt a bit bad to give in to such things. He was uncertain of many things, and it involved the women that surrounded him at almost all points in his life now.

Despite the fact that Kuroka seemed okay with the concept of a harem and sharing her bed with him, Minato had still not grown comfortable with the concept, nor the fact that it seemed almost expected of powerful beings at this point in time.

There was one thing Minato did know, however, and it was that Kuroka the black cat was going to be the death of him if she kept on biting him like she had.


	36. Blackout

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **3**_ _ **6,**_ _ **Blackout**_

Hypnos will be Hypnos. I like the idea of using the design of 'Abel' from DS, as they do indeed look similar enough to be twins. Kinda.

Saw something that kinda upset me today, but you know what? Whatever. If someone doesn't want to come up with their own ideas and borrow mine, that's cool too. Ugh.

Sorry for the delay yesterday, I've been kinda busy these past few days. Tuesday and Thursday might also be delayed, but we will see.

The big reveal of the ultimate weapon is this chapter. I lied when I said I wouldn't be using the Dragonslayer Swordspear idea. Imagine a darkened version covered in padlocks, chains and pulsing seals wrapped tightly around the handle and through the two holes beneath the blade but before the tang area, if you have to visualize the weapon.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Minato felt the weight of something most peculiar on his shoulder as he walked the halls of Valhalla, almost as if he were being weighed down. Ignoring the chaos around him as he scanned the hall for potential targets, Minato was taken aback by the sheer size, and beauty of the massive area he found himself in. Taking a few moments to admire the masterful crafting of the hall, Minato memorized the familiar sights so that he might return on his own one day, if need be.

Massive pillars held the roof aloft, decorated with runes down the entire length of the columns of twisting and turning characters. It seems something was interfering with the powers that protected the sacred hall.

Chain mail hung from the benches while massive shields hung from the ceilings, obviously ready for combat as the Einherjar began to engage the foes trampling upon their home until Ragnarok comes.

Odin was already engaged in combat with Rossweisse by his side as soon as Minato had appeared through the summoning circle opened up for him, lost in some sort of rampage as he beat men and women to death with what appeared to be a goblet of all things.

Two wolves, whom Minato knew to be Geri and Freki, attacked those that they could wrap their maws around, tearing out the throats of many with ravenous gusto. Two blackbirds, the ravens Huginn and Muninn, would peck at the eyes of the humans while the wolves would finish them off, devouring the flesh greedily. Odin had yet to summon his spear Gungnir, or even begin to use magic in any fashion due to the large number of friendly faces among the crowd. This was the type of combat Minato had to be wise in, as he couldn't just blast massive laser beams of doom into his soon to be friends faces.

Kuroka snatched a blade from mid air that was on a crash course for his back before crushing it in her grasp. Minato was aware of the incoming weapon and was already in motion to deflect it when Kuroka interfered. The Nekoshou turned her angry gaze to the one responsible, only to watch as the man who threw the blade was overcome by twenty or so irate Valkyries while those not attacking the foolish man were waving at Minato while blowing kisses.

"How did they breach Valhalla?" Minato wondered aloud as the Blade of Lucifer appeared in his waiting hand, its shorter blade more appropriate for close quarters than his longsword. One swipe, two, five humans dead just like that, all bisected either through the hip or from shoulder to shoulder. "They are cannonfodder." Minato immediately noticed before turning his gaze to the entrance of the massive hall.

"It's a distraction." Kuroka answered in his ear, watching with heavy amber eyes as blood began to flood the floors with how many were being laid to waste, forming binding circles to seal away the Einherjar and their weapons shaped as if made of solid bolts of lightning. Screams of pain echoed throughout the massive hall once more, this time coming from friendly forces. Minato agreed with the sentiment, as did Odin it seemed as the two locked eyes from across the room.

Tilting his head to the door, Odin got the message. Kuroka easily cut a path through the weakly armored beings with small applications of the blue flames she wielded, allowing for Minato to stroll behind her as if the two were on a walk through the park.

Minato felt bad for the many beings he cut down, knowing that they had no choice but to attack him. Most of those present had likely been heavily brainwashed and hypnotized to serve Cao Cao and the Hero faction as slaves of war. Minato had blood on his hands before he was returned to this dimension, he knew that much. However, it was not the blood of potentially innocent beings.

Another ten, twenty, thirty dead, each one wearing a face Minato would likely remember till the day he died. Most of his opponents had been at least powerful enough, or evil enough, to warrant a harsh punishment, yet these beings were not. If he did not cut them down now, however, he knew they would continue to march under the orders of Cao Cao, perhaps killing one of his loved ones later.

That could not happen, and thus the many became a few. Kuroka would jump over his blade as he cleaved through the almost zombified humans, torching those that would attack him from behind while he would cover her flank in turn.

Grabbing her arm, Minato pulled Kuroka out of the way of a massive bench flying at her, slicing it in half with the crimson blade in his hands before sending a single bolt of black lightning from his fingertip towards the culprit as if his hand were a gun. The black bolt tore through the head of the curly haired man, leaving a smoking hole the size of a fist directly through his skull, smoldering as his body collapsed beneath him.

Kuroka returned the favor by jumping onto his shoulder before leaping into the air in a back flip, kicking a massive orb of fire that was descending from the roof away from the two after reinforcing her legs with a large amount of chakra instead of the Devil energy within her. The busty Nekoshou landed lightly on her feet, a frown on her face as she regarded the slightly stronger humans that wielded what appeared to be weak Sacred Gears mindlessly. Chains began to erupt from the floor, pulling many of the humans into the depths of the abyss Minato controlled as his own, thinning the crowds of foes further.

One man, whom Minato recognized as Heracles, began to glow a ghastly orange before throwing himself at Kuroka after tearing through a crowd of Einherjar, explosions ripping from every surfaces the mans body touched, fleshy or made of stone.

'Variant Detonation.' Minato thought to himself upon seeing the aura, knowing that Heracles was using his Sacred Gear with frightening effeciency.

"Kuroka, you dare show your face around me? YOU DARE SHOW YOURSELF AGAIN AFTER-"

"Shut up, _Tiny_ , no one has time for a shrimp." Kuroka laughed in his face, backhanding the large man with a glowing fist while waggling her pinky in his direction.

Minato rose a brow towards Kuroka, which she understood as a question that didn't need to be asked. "No, he wanted to, but from what I've seen..." Kuroka trailed off, and Minato understood loud and clear.

Heracles punched the ground in anger upon hearing Kurokas words, causing another large explosion to ring out. The buxom Nekoshou wasn't impressed, sending multiple balls of blue flames towards the enraged behemoth of a human. The Greek descendent of the original Hercules hissed as the fire impacted his flesh, but easily brushed them aside.

"Your fires are weak, _wench_ , as is your flesh! I WILL RIP YOUR FILTHY HEAD FROM YOUR SHOULDERS!" Heracles roared before slamming his fingers into the earth and pulling upwards. A large portion of the floor was slowly being lifted, though Minato ignored the long winded attack and went for the kill.

The Blade of Lucifer sliced through the air like a missile before burying itself in the skull of the Greek 'Hero', ending his life then and there. Multiple bolts of black lightning tore through his body, leaving it full of steaming holes that punched through him completely.

It was not Minatos fault that the man wanted to try and showboat his strength instead of fighting intelligently. You never occupied both hands during combat if you could help it, yet Heracles buried both of his hands in the ground, preventing him from blocking the flying sword.

The sickly orange aura still flared around the body of the now deceased Heracles, causing Minato to reach forward before placing his hand around the hilt of the weapon buried in his opponents face. After pulling the sword free, an orange smoke rose from the massive wound before swirling around the ring finger of Minato.

As if sensing a better user than its previous wielder, the Sacred Gear Variable Detonation became a small band of orange crystals, almost similar to the band of Twilight Healing. Minato could tell, however, that he was not the designated wielder of the Sacred Gear, and was just a temporary vessel it seemed. Should he have been chosen, the ring wouldn't have settled on his finger, and instead it would have joined with his body.

"Well, that's just no fun." Kuroka pouted, having wanted to embarrass the large man further before his death, "I wasn't done mocking him."

"We can mock some of the others more to make up for it." Minato reminded her before beconning towards the largest doors leading from Valhalla. The Einherjar and Valkyries seemed to be cleaning up the rest of the opponents easily, going so far as to singing a loud battle hymn as they did so.

Finally, Kuroka and Minato were able to make it through the staggering humans and into the company of Odin and Rossweisse, who had also made it through the thick crowds of friend and foes alike.

"This ain't getting us anywhere." Odin groused, taking a sip from the mead in the goblet, having apparently not even spilled a drop after murdering upwards of one hundred people with it. "The more I kill, the more that come! I coulda' sworn I killed that bastard three times!" He seemed to be pointing at one man in particular, silver haired with six arms.

The four arms sprouting from his back were silver in color and dragonoid, each wielding a different sword as if he were an Asura. The blade in his right hand, his human hand that is, was golden in color and embroidered with what appeared to be the face of a large dragon.

Another silver haired man, this one loyal to Odin, tore through the crowd of humans around him before forcefully engaging with his younger looking counterpart, leading Minato to believe that the Einherjar in Odins service was his ancestor. 'Sigfried and Sigmund, then.' Minato identified the two, knowing who they were after going down the list in his head.

The Einherjar under the command of Odin seemed to flex harshly like a professional body builder before letting out a massive bellow. Minato could have sworn he heard the man announcing that his muscles had muscles, and from what he could tell, Minato could not disagree. Instead of attacking him, the six armed youth dropped his weapons and began to flex as well, turning his legs and hips to face all six limbs skyward. The two exchanged insults and compliments at the same time as what should have been a physical fight devolved into a contest of appearances.

"You might not be entirely incorrect, Odin." Minato informed the elder God after he turned his attention away from the strange family reunion, "The Tepes faction is currently associated with the Khaos Brigade. Rumor has it that they happen to have a certain Sacred Gear in their possession, and considering their appearance..." Minato gestured to the even further emancipated forms crawling from the underside of the bridge leading into Valhalla.

"So someone is resurrecting them." Rossweisse immediately understood upon hearing 'Sacred Gear'. Someone had the Sephiroth Graal, and they were disrupting the flow of life and death as a form of warfare.

As often as souls had been pulled from the beyond, it was still reprehensible to enslave humans to fight a failing battle against the Gods, even going so far as to overriding their will in the process, leaving them as mindless puppets.

"It seems that way." Minato nodded his head in affirmation before scanning the large field before him. It seems that the Gods and Goddesses that dwelt within Valhalla, outside of Thor, had engaged in conflict with many different members of the Hero faction, holding them back from besieging the hall unlike their useless, weaker counterparts had.

"I sense a much larger power source further ahead, just below the cliff face." Rossweisse noted while looking to Odin for permission to scout ahead. Seeing as the old man was too busy watching the combat below with a bit of relish, she blew her hair from her face before turning to Minato. "Do you want me to take care of it?"

Minato shrugged his shoulders, expecting Odin to give the bodacious woman the order. When he did not, Minato did. Rossweisse disappeared towards the horizon quickly, her battle mail fluttering in the wind as she went.

He couldn't help but appreciate the view as she went, apparently neither could Kuroka.

"She has a nice ass." The Nekoshou grinned while elbowing Minato to get his attention, "What do you think?"

Minato did not answer her, instead focusing on the increasingly large energy signature heading towards the three. "That's a big dragon." Minato noted with a frown, seeing the gleaming, crimson scaled beast approaching quickly.

 **[EX]**

Standing on a plateau further down from where the Gods and Goddesses were engaging their opponents, another strike force was gathered. At the lead was Cao Cao, the current leader of the Hero faction while to his right sat Georg, the descendent of Faust.

"How are we doing?" Cao Cao questioned sternly, only for Georg to begin to stutter his response. "We... we aren't doing good. Someone else has appeared, someone as strong as Odin, easily."

"Another one? Odin is the All-Father of the Norse Gods for a reason, he is the strongest among them. The only other Gods I can think of that would come to his aid are Thor, Baldr and his strongest Einherjar, Ein. What gives?" Cao Cao was not impressed with the words of Georg and was going to continue his ranting when Heracles began to crawl from the large pit of darkness beside the small gathered group.

"Oh, that miscreant is going to get it! Who throws their sword?!" Heracles ranted, throwing his hands into the air in anger, "And he stole Variable Detonation! I will turn his brain into paste with my bare hands!"

"Someone managed to take you down, Heracles?" Cao Cao questioned impertinently, slamming the butt of the 'True Longinus' into the ground in anger, "What the hell is going on? Loki said the seals should have weakened the Gods tremendously!"

"Obviously, you were lied to, _mortal._ " Came the rather vicious sounding voice from behind Cao Cao, causing the Chinese teenager to spin on his heels to regard the speaking figure.

Instead of responding to any of those bearing cloaks or even Cao Cao, Heracles launched himself upwards and back into the fray, this time avoiding confronting Minato or Kuroka again. Dying once had been enough for the man.

"You shut your mouth, _leech,_ or I will remove those fangs of yours with my bare hands." Cao Cao growled out before pointing his spear in the direction of the Vampire.

"Oh please, you couldn't get close enough to me to do it and you know it." The doll-faced figure with black hair spoke lazily, waving his hand to dismiss the insinuation, "This assault would fail without my assistance, you might want to remember that before you speak to me in such a way again."

"Whatever. We had a deal, Marius, you aren't here as a favor." Cao Cao spat before turning his attention away from the crimson eyed male, "Georg, it is time."

"As you wish, Cao Cao." Georg nodded his head before turning to the kneeling figure bound in chains beside him. A slithering, coiling snake of what appeared to be blood and energy swam from his hand through the air and into the mouth of the kneeling figure.

"Ugh, AH! AHHHH!" The kneeling figure roared in agony before throwing his head back, facing the sky. Two wings ripped from the back of the cloaked man, dragonoid in nature. Scales began to cover the figure from head to toe until all that remained was a massive, crimson dragon easily fifty meters long in size.

The beast let loose another roar before taking to the skies, flying towards the plateau just above the group of four.

Rossweisse flew over the edge of the cliff face just as the creature was flying upwards, causing the two to almost collide as the Valkyrie dodged out of the way of the near collision.

The creature ignored the woman, instead flying towards the large energy signature it could sense on the edge of its range of sensory. It was the energy signature he was created to destroy, after all.

"ODIN!" The beast roared aloud, its voice easily echoing across the landscape as it barreled towards the bearded God.

On the uppermost plateau, Odin, Minato and Kuroka bore witness to one of the largest dragons they had ever seen quickly approaching the three with hate and agony rolling from it in waves.

"Go and take care of the one who made this beast." Odin addressed Minato with a sideways glance, allowing his spear Gungnir to appear from the blue seal that appeared by his head, "You shove that stick of his up his ass and I'll consider us allies."

Minato nodded his head and began to move towards the plateau drop off, ignoring the massive dragon as it flew over his and Kurokas heads.

"COME HERE YOU OVER GROWN LIZARD! DADDY NEEDS A NEW PAIR OF DRAGONHIDE BOOTS!" Odin roared while aiming at the dragon using the only eye he had. Pulling his arm back, the muscles in Odins right arm began to tense, growing in size slightly as the All-Father called upon his domain as not only the God of the Sky, but also as the God of War, using both to empower his weapon to even greater heights.

Odin let loose the weapon, kicking up a massive cloud of dust upon the release in a large circle around him. The dust kicked up from the release settled upon the battlefield, adding to the ever growing fog of war that had overtaken the fields outside of Valhalla.

 **[EX]**

Minato stared down at the four figures waiting below, watching them quarrel amongst one another with interest. Kuroka placed her chin on his shoulder as she embraced him from behind, watching with him as it seemed two of the figures departed, leaving only two left.

"Who were they?" Kuroka wondered aloud, tracing a circle with her finger on the chest of Minato, who didn't seem bothered at all by the contact at this point.

"I can't say I know. Both wore cloaks to hide their identities." Minato admitted before motioning to the two left, "Though I know that is Cao Cao and Georg. How about we go greet them properly?"

Kuroka seemed pleased by the idea, letting go of Minato before leaping over the cliff face before he could say anything else. "See you at the bottom, Mina-Kun~!"

Minato watched her go before shrugging his shoulders and taking the leap himself, plummeting downwards at a rapid pace. As he began to approach the ground, Minato released a small portion of his energy, molding it almost to the point of singularity at the soles of both of his feet.

Using a skill he was taught by Kuroka, Minato landed lightly on his feet after falling in what seemed to be slow motion for the last few meters of the fall. Kuroka did not say anything as the two approached the waiting figures, ignoring the sound of combat both above and below them.

"Cao Cao. Do you know who I am?" Minato questioned loudly as he approached, raising his voice so the Chinese teenager would understand him despite the distance.

"Of course I know of you, Thanatos. I was not expecting the personification of Death to be present in Valhalla." Cao Cao called out while readying his spear, "This is perfect! I was only here to conduct an experiment, but the opportunity to kill Death is just too sweet to pass up! If I kill you, then I will prove that humans are the mightiest of all races!"

"Prove... humanities might?" Minato questioned, tilting his head slightly, "Did I hear you correctly? Did you just say you wished to prove humanities might?"

"Yes, you deaf relic! If I kill you, then it will be the proof we need to show the world that humanity is not a tool! We are our own faction, our own race that needs no help from the supernatural!" Cao Cao yelled, impassioned by his self righteousness.

The True Longinus crackled with energy, golden light pouring from the blade like a strobe light, as if agreeing with its wielder, "This is just the opening ceremony, you see! As soon as the Northern Gods are wiped clean, we shall go from Pantheon to Pantheon, rinsing and repeating until Humans are all that is left in all of the realms! No longer will Devils enslave us, or Fallen deceive us! No longer will Angels try and blind us to the truth! Humans need not depend on the fickle whims of Gods or Goddesses, finally able to stand on our own feet!"

"Enslaved by Devils? You yourself have enslaved humans, waged a genocidal conflict between yourselves to awaken gifted strength! Deceived by Fallen? You hypnotize and brainwash your subjects!" Minato was affronted by the black haired teenager and the arrogance he exuded, "You call yourselves the Hero faction, but do you want to know what I see, Cao Cao?"

Minato held his hand out, and above it came a hazy image. Eventually, the form of a heart appeared above the opened hand, crimson in color. The heart began to beat slowly, and just as slowly, began to convert to the shade of coal black.

"Your heart and soul are as black as the abyss. You do not know what the word Hero means, you petulant child!" Minato was getting upset, just thinking about the hypocrisy, "You are the Villain, Cao Cao!"

"And what would you know of humanity?! What would you know of the word Hero?!" Cao Cao shouted, the aura around his weapon flaring as he swung it in the direction of Minato and Kuroka. A thin beam of energy was calmly deflected to the side by the backhand of Minato, almost lazily. "You have reaped the souls of men and women alike since your inception! The things you have done hardly make you capable of speaking about Heroes and Villains, Thanatos!"

"What do I know of humanity...?" Minato questioned, his shoulders trembling slightly as his face tilted downwards. His hair shadowed his face, hiding his features from view. The trembling continued as Minato thrust his hand to the right, as if summoning something to his hand. "I have walked the earth for the last eighteen years thinking I was a mortal man! I know of the struggles of man, of their inner most fears and desires. I know of the darkness of man, and the greatness of man! I know more than you can ever comprehend, Cao Cao!"

The earth around him began to tremble, the trees far away in the distance swaying under the force. The sky began to darken, no longer the bright golden color that perpetually covered the surface of Asgard. The sun, so bright in the sky, began to turn a bloody crimson and soon, baleful red light pierced the darkness of night that befell Asgard.

A loud, tearing noise filled the air as reality ripped at the seams before the hand of Minato, eventually giving way under the force being applied to the very fabric of existence. A gaping hole leading directly into the dark void controlled by Minato appeared, and from it something began to reveal itself.

A massive blade covered in multiple lengths of chain and locks appeared, each lock bearing an ultraviolet seal that glowed heavily enough to give off a light show. The entire blade finally revealed itself, crackling with black lightning every two seconds violently, scoring the earth around Minato and Kuroka in a show of force.

The long handle of the blade began to push itself from the void before Minato grasped the weapon and gave it a tug, pulling it completely from the tear in reality. The rip resealed itself and faded away, leaving the curios white eyes staring from within to disappear as well.

The length of the blade itself was three feet and shaped as it it belonged on a sword, while the handle of the weapon was far too long to be considered as such. It was not long enough to be considered a full spear, however, leaving it as a strange mix of the two.

"I have to thank you, Cao Cao, for this beautiful weapon." Minato admitted while running his hand along the length of the monstrous blade lovingly, "You see, when you stabbed Ophis, a large portion of the True Longinus broke off inside of her, almost killing her due to its interference with her healing process... The shard was not enough to wield, however. It was a pitiful little thing, so hungry and desperate to live... so I began to feed it my own energy like I would have a baby."

Minato pointed the blade at Cao Cao before crossing his free hand over his chest and over the arm supporting the massive weapon, "The result of its creation, its birth, almost killed me, Cao Cao. This weapon contains the power of the Infinite, so stained was the fragment it was born from, and the will of Death. Right now, it is singing to me. Do you want to know what it says?"

Tracing the blade along the ground before Cao Cao in his vision like a paint brush, Minato allowed the strength of the weapon in his hand to reveal itself, if only a mere fraction of its potential. A massive trench began to carve itself in the direct path that Minato lazily swung his blade, causing Cao Cao and Georg to take a step back in shock at the display, covering their eyes as earth was kicked up wildly.

'He didn't even push any of his energy into it and it carved a trench twenty feet away.' Georg thought to himself grimly, knowing that the power of the weapon wielded by Thanatos was not anything to trifle with.

If its mere summoning could cause the entire dimension of Asgard to shake, then he was glad that its potential seemed to sealed away by thousands of different interlocking, constantly shifting runes carved along the entire length of the large sword-spear combination.

Neither Georg nor Cao Cao could recognize the strange, primal looking runes carved upon the surface of the weapon, nor could they begin to understand the creeping numbness in the back of their minds as they tried to comprehend the nature of what they were seeing, as if it were beyond their realm of understanding.

"It wants to make you suffer Cao Cao, just like you make those under you suffer." Minato leaned forward a bit while pointing the massive spear towards Cao Cao once more, its blade engulfed by the massive current of darkened electricity coursing through it, trilling like sickly birds.

The Chinese teenager felt his heart beating in his throat, and he knew that his day was about to take a turn for the worst.

 **[EX]**

Kuroka knew that Minato wanted to take care of Cao Cao personally and instead opted to take care of his second in command Georg with Rossweisse as her support.

The Valkyrie quickly made herself useful by raining down bullets of energy in the direct area of Georg like a machine gun, though the massive surge of magic circles that appeared around the glasses wearing teenager prevented any damage from being inflicted by the raining death.

Kuroka reinforced her through close range attacks, knowing that Georg was a long ranged fighter from her own time in the Khaos Brigade. She might not have been a member of the Hero faction, but she was well informed on the capability of the human.

Georg began to chant a Norse verse under his breath, though Rossweisse was able to read his lips and inform Kuroka of the impending attack. "He is summoning hail!"

Kuroka nodded her head and summoned a large barrier of ghostly blue flames around the two buxom women, preventing the raining sharp spires of hail from peppering and rending their flesh with their icy tips. The Nekoshou seemed nonplussed with the amount of chakra she was having to expend to keep the barrier erected, though she knew it would only last for around five minutes at most.

A massive bolt of black lightning erupted from the right, the direction that Minato and Cao Cao were facing each other. Georg was forced to abandon his spell casting to dodge the large bolt, thus allowing Kuroka to drop the barrier to engage the teenager in close quarters once more.

Rossweisse summoned two magic circles to her hands and began to fire off a constant laser beam from both, acting as if they were massive light sabers as they attempted to slice Georg into ribbons. Kuroka would throw massive orbs of flame at the teenager every time he dodged the beams of blue light, scoring decent hits against him more than once.

As the two beams began to encircle him once more, preventing him from dodging, Georg summoned a large cloud of mist around him that completely negated the damage he was about to receive.

"Dimension Lost, it's a Longinus-Class Sacred Gear. Do not get caught in the mist, it can teleport anything within to a seperate dimension all together." Rossweisse informed the Nekoshou without tearing her eyes away from the powerful magician, who was now floating off of the ground by a foot while assessing the two of them nervously.

'To think they forced me to use my Sacred Gear already...' Georg thought to himself bitterly, feeling that he was not strong enough to deal with the two women alone, 'They are proving too strong to fight without backup.'

Kuroka seemed pleased by the fight, finally getting a proper workout after months of mostly lazing around with her workouts done in between naps. Rossweisse, however, was more serious about the confrontation, knowing that one wrong move might have her floating in the Dimensional Gap to fade away into the nothingness.

Instead of targeting the two of them further, however, Georg turned his attention to Cao Cao and Minato after hearing one of the most cringe inducing sounds of rending flesh that he ever heard.

Cao Cao looked like he was on the verge of death, one of his arms missing while blood poured from one of his now empty eye sockets in a river. The True Longinus was no longer in his grasp, and instead was wielded in the right hand of Thanatos. The personification of Death seemed far more interested in studying the cracked and splintered spear in his right hand than finishing off his opponent, and Georg took that opportunity to summon his fog once more, engulfing both himself and Cao Cao before disappearing into a different dimension and away from Thanatos and his two wenches.

If his leader didn't look so devastated about the loss of his arm, eye and weapon, Georg would have told him to look on the bright side. The more he thought about it, however, the more appealing it became.

'It is going to take a while to recover from these wounds.' Georg thought with a frown, 'We were not prepared for Death, but we will be next time.'

 **[EX]**

Minato opened up the fight with a forward lunge, pushing forward with one foot and allowing the momentum to carry himself across the space between the two in an attempt to impale the teenager upon his weapon.

Cao Cao rolled to the right, dodging the opening lunge before swiping at waist level towards Minato with his spear, causing a crescent beam of white and golden light to erupt in a wave.

Minato countered the wave of light with a sweep of his own spear, allowing a blanket of darkness to snuff out the incoming attacks like a heavy wind to a candle flame. A vertical swing of the 'Anti-Longinus' created from the fragment of the True Longinus left another trench in the ground, almost bisecting Cao Cao in two.

"This plateau will be your grave, Thanatos!" Cao Cao called out arrogantly before swinging his spear above his head like a baton before bringing it downwards in a smashing motion. Minato casually batted the attack to the side by spinning his blade in a circle, chipping the weapon of his opponent in the process.

Cao Cao disengaged his opponent and took a cursory glance at his weapon, noticing that the wounds upon its form were not healing as fast as they should have. The True Longinus drew upon his very life force to repair itself, and Cao Cao could already feeling his life span slowly decreasing as the fight continued.

Thanatos was playing with him, toying with him as a lion would its prey. None of the attacks he unleashed required any of the energy within him, coming directly from the weapon in his hands. His form did not become enveloped in shadows, nor did he show his true form. He was fighting solely as a human would, with a weapon in hand alone.

It was like salt upon his wounds, and Cao Cao would not stand for it. Launching himself at Thanatos with renewed vigor, the Chinese teenager released its Balance Breaker in hopes to overcome the massive force wielded by the personification of Death.

'Chatsuka Ratana.' Cao Cao intoned, summoning one of the seven black orbs that hovered around him into the spear before attacking Minato with a wide slash. Minato once again deflected the attack lazily, almost as if he were practicing twirling a drumstick.

'IT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!' Cao Cao roared in his head, taken aback that his weapon did not destroy the imitation spear wielded by Thanatos. 'HOW DID IT FAIL?!'

The teenager was unable to understand the development, as his weapon was supposed to be one of the most powerful weapons in all of the realms. The Chatsuka Ratana granted the ability to destroy any weapon in came into contact with as long as the True Longinus was the stronger of the two weapons.

That meant that the spear wielded by Thanatos was either equal to, or greater than the True Longinus, and the prospect terrified him.

A different orb joined with the True Longinus while the previous orb began to float around him once more. 'Balinayaka Ratana!' Cao Cao completely skipped the activation process usually needed due to the situation, knowing that a chant would likely get him killed as would any other distractions. Instead of attacking him again while the spheres were changing, Thanatos pointed his weapon to the left and let loose a large beam of black lightning towards Georg, who was summoning hail downwards upon his comrades.

The General Treasure, as the particular sphere was known as, greatly increased the attack power of the True Longinus at the cost of, yet again, the life force of the user. Had Cao Cao not been reinforcing himself with the stolen energy of Ophis, he knew he would have perished from the mere activation of the skill without its chant.

A large beam of chaotic white energy in the shape of an eastern Dragon erupted from the tip of the True Longinus, heading towards Thanatos at a rate that seemed impossible to dodge. Instead of dodging, however, Minato returned the attack with one of his own, pointing the Anti-Longinus towards the attack while releasing one of the many, many seals upon the weapon.

A black wave of energy erupted from the heavily sealed weapon, eventually taking the form of a Dragon that looked more like Ophis than not while letting loose a bestial roar that easily dwarfed that of the crimson dragon being fought by Odin. The two dragons began to coil around one another before latching onto one another with immaterial teeth, doing their best to gain dominance over the other. Eventually, the Ophis-shaped Dragon won and devoured the energy within the eastern Dragon, dispersing itself once its job was complete.

Minato launched himself forward once more with a massive push of his left foot, closing the distance between Cao Cao and himself in the blink of an eye. Swinging downwards, Minato attempted to bisect the Chinese teenager again, only for him to hold his own spear horizontally to catch the Anti-Longinus before it could make contact with his flesh.

"You... You filthy primordial! I will dance on your grave!" Cao Cao ground out, only for Minato to roll his eyes at the rather bland threat. Letting his left hand free from its grasp on the Anti-Longinus, Minato shoved his pointer finger forward and impaled the right eye of Cao Cao before pulling it directly from his skull, though the teenager did not scream once in pain. It was a cheap attack, but it was effective to say the least.

Cao Cao may not have physically displayed his pain, but his instincts forced him backwards and away from Minato, allowing the blue haired being to snatch the True Longinus from the grasp of Cao Cao before removing his left arm from his body at the shoulder.

This time, the Chinese teenager displayed a great amount of pain and the six orbs surrounding him faded away into nothingness. Minato grasped the weapon of Cao Cao even tighter in his grip before a large snapping noise filled the air as he brought it down over his knee.

The descendent of the original Cao Cao watched dispassionately as his prized weapon, something he was born with, was shattered into pieces over the knee of Thanatos like a cheap toy. Just as Minato was about to remove the head of Cao Cao and impale it upon the end of his own blade, he was prevented from doing so by outside interference.

A massive blanket of fog danced over the landscape, pulling Cao Cao into its embrace before the Chinese teenager and his large army of humans disappeared from Asgard completely, their mission ending in failure.

Minato let out a small grunt of disappointment before he bent down and picked up the three fragments of the True Longinus, no longer containing even a fraction of its previous radiance after being as destroyed as it was.

"I hope this won't prevent Odin from joining..." Minato murmured, knowing that he was not the only being who wanted to see Cao Cao dead for his attrocities.

Kuroka and Rossweisse were by his side not even seconds later, the Nekoshou once more invading his personal space while the Valkyrie hung back just a bit further, both checking over the personification of Death to make sure he was not wounded.

If the situation wasn't so tense, Minato was sure he would have enjoyed being fretted over by two very beautiful women in such a way.

 **[EX]**

"I would do anything for you to reconsider." Rossweisse, despite the serious situation, seemed to forget herself for a moment, almost dropping to her knees to beg. Kuroka placed her hand over her mouth and let a lewd sounding giggle escape before looking the silver haired Valkyrie up and down a few times.

"Reconsider what, Mina-Kun~?" Kuroka questioned with no small amount of amusement in her voice, "Do you have yet another wanting to join us?"

"Yes."

"No?" Minato wasn't sure, only to be informed by Rossweisse that she indeed wanted to join Minato. She didn't seem to understand just what Kuroka was implying, though Minato did. "You... do?"

"Yes. Please, I am begging you." Rossweisse did not mince words, it seemed.

Minato thought it over, remembering the words of Odin just earlier that day. "You are good at paperwork?"

"Yes, I am." Rossweisse informed him quickly, nodding her head in agreement with the question, "I am very good with paperwork."

"Consider yourself hired." Minato held out his hand for her to shake, which she did with extreme gusto, almost enough to lift Minato from his feet.

Odin had agreed to join the Alliance so long as Minato gave him the weapon that was used to end the life of his favorite Valkyrie. After thinking it over for all of two seconds, Minato gladly handed over the three empty fragments of the True Longinus, knowing that the weapons spirits and power no longer dwelt within the physical vessel of the spear.

It also helped that Minato was willing to take his 'least favorite Valkyries' off of his hands, no longer wanting Rossweisse to 'cramp his style' as he so aptly put it.

"Yes, yes, I give you my word." Odin stated again in an exasperated tone before raising his right hand, "I swear it on my honor as the All-Father."

"Then I will see you in one week, Odin." Minato held out his hand for the elderly God to take, which he gladly did after wiping some of the blood off of it and onto his robes. It was too late for Minato to take his hand back, and the bloody grasp of Odin stained his pristine white gloves a second later.

"You better prepare yourself, Thanatos! I am going to drink you, bird-brains and fire crotch under the damn table, just you watch!" Odin called out jovially as he turned away to oversee the gathering of the dead Einherjar and Valkyries that covered the plateaus around Valhalla.

Minato, Kuroka and Rossweisse left Asgard moments later through a large portal of churning darkness, not looking back at the large battlefield even once.

Had they looked back, they would have noticed that the sun was still stained crimson while the sky remained darkened like night. Twilight indeed fell over the Gods, yet they stood still, ready for a second round. A stronger Alliance than before was born on that day, one forged in the fires of war and quenched in the blood of their foes.

The world tension grew and the other Pantheons began to take notice.


	37. To Pleasure and Pain

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **3**_ _ **7,**_ _ **To**_ _ **Pleasure and Pain**_

Thank you all for the continued support! I want to see if I can break the 1k mark before the end of this story as far as reviews go! So far so good, my friends!

The Blade of Lucifer was offered to Sirzechs, though he denied taking it as payment.

To Small Benis, I can only say a lot of stuff is happening.

You will be seeing quite a few more Persona being summoned here within a few chapters. Alice has a special, special role in the story, and it kinda goes snicker-snack. Yay for yandare daughter figures.

In most stories, Koneko is usually bitter or angry at her sister for quite some time after the reveal of the truth. I wanted to convey that due to Minato being present and not Issei, every little thing that happens will have a different variable thrown in. Butterfly effect and all of that.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

"Ophis, I have something for you." Minato called out as he entered the Dragons room at the lowest point of his tower, "I think you might like this."

Instead of answering verbally, Ophis began to paddle her way to him with her arms, still floating on her plastic pool toy. "What, is it?" The petite Dragon God questioned, hoping for a new type of sweet to try. Instead of sweets, however, Ophis picked up the scent of her most hated enemy at this point in time, someone who made it to number one on her shit list.

"Cao Cao..." The Dragon God trailed off upon seeing the blood covering Minato, who had yet to clean himself of the grime of combat.

A small seal appeared above his hand before an eye ball floating in a jar deposited itself into his waiting palm.

"You... didn't kill him?" Ophis questioned as she accepted the jar with the floating, ruined eyeball within it. It would be one of her most cherished prizes, gifted to her by the same being that shared a small child with her.

"No. He escaped before I could finish him, though I did my best to at least bring a souvenir. Besides, you need your own revenge as well, correct?" Minato questioned as he lowered himself into a seated position at the small dock that rested outside of the elevator, taking off his shoes and socks before dipping his feet into the water.

The many seals on the tile beneath the surface of the water would keep it purified and devoid of any life form, thus preventing any sort of scum build up or the need for chemicals to clean.

Ophis felt her heart beat just the slightest bit harder, and a small dusting of blush covered her face. 'What... is this?'

The Dragon God was pleased upon the admission, if only because it meant that Death thought of her enough to consider her revenge. It was... sweet, but not in the same way cookies were. The comparison made sense to the Dragon God, in an odd sort of way.

"I do, thank you." Ophis nodded her head before wrapping her arms around his leg before resting her head on his knee.

"Think nothing of it." Minato murmured while removing his only clean glove to run his fingers through her hair. "I must go soon, I have acquired a new secretary."

"Ah... can I?" Ophis questioned, not bothering to finish her sentence, looking up at Minato with pleading, primal gray eyes.

"Of course. Come, Ophis, let me introduce you to Rossweisse." Minato offered his hand, which she gladly look.

 **[EX]**

Rossweisse was impressed by the neatness of Deaths office, finding that his method of organization was most like her own. Odin was known for his absolute sloppiness, leaving important paperwork to act as a coaster for his large drinking horn instead of finishing it like he was supposed to.

It was most likely for that reason that the only allies of the Norse Gods turned out to be basically Death and his merry band of miscreants. Well, Michael could hardly be considered a miscreant, but he was certainly not a very bright colored crayon when it came to human matters.

There was a stack of paperwork and envelopes that needed to be gone through, filled out and sorted, though Rossweisse held back on doing anything to his office or dealing with his paperwork before her position was officiated and her induction into his faction took place.

She would be the first Valkyrie to leave the fold of the Norse completely, and it left her slightly giddy. Her sister Valkyrie had expressed a large amount of jealousy due to her departure with Thanatos, even going so far as to crying that they didn't get chosen.

The blue eyed Valkyrie was not a spiteful person but after being mocked for most of her life by those around her, it was pleasing to be free from that type of negativity.

Rossweisse was drawn from her reverie by the entrance of Thanatos and his rumored consort Ophis, causing the silver haired Valkyrie to tense and stand as straight as she could. There presence of the being was something that, while restrained and weakened, demanded respect. Minato noticed her tense before trying to get her to relax a bit.

"Rossweisse, this is Ophis. Ophis, this is Rossweisse. She will be helping me deal with the paperwork being dumped on me by the other factions." Minato explained to the Dragon God, who simply nodded in acceptance before turning her judgmental gaze to Rossweisse.

Once more the Valkyrie tensed, feeling as if she was stripped naked by the piercing eyes of the Dragon God. After two minutes of scrutiny, Ophis nodded her head in what seemed to be reluctant acceptance before tugging on his sleeve. "I, approve."

Ophis could tell that the silver haired Valkyrie was not going to be an issue. Her aura, while powerful for a Half-God, showed that she was a gentle person, one without the intent to bring harm to others without reason. The petite Dragon God had gained the talent of gleaning the true nature of things through her study of Death and their family, something that served her well.

At one point in time, Ophis did not care for studying people, finding them easier to kill and be done with than dealing with their issues. When she began to recruit figures into her Khaos Brigade to be rid of the Great Red, she still did not study those that 'swore' themselves to her cause. Now, she would not make that same mistake. Each and every being that came into her home, the House of Death, she would study and judge until she was content with their presence.

Minato was glad that she wouldn't have a problem with his newest resident, as she was likely to make his life much less stressful than before. Hopefully. He didn't want there to be quarrels between any of those living in his home, that would only add to the stress.

With the second introduction finished, Minato having introduced Kuroka as they returned home, it only left him to call upon the rest.

"Alright, Rossweisse. Before we continue with the introductions, how about we go over a few things?" Minato questioned while taking a seat in his normal spot, lacing his fingers together as he reclined in the chain. "Namely, tell me more about yourself. I can tell that you bear no negative intentions towards myself or those present, but you are basically an unknown at this point in time."

Rossweisse nodded her head and took the chair across from his desk after he gestured for her to sit. She was a bit nervous, if she were honest. This would be her first official interview, considering she was picked out of the crowd randomly to see to Odin by his wife Frigg.

"My name is Rossweisse. I grew up in the country side, raised by my grandmother, Gondul. My parents were employed under Odin, you see, always off to combat the giants that still laid siege when I was younger," Rossweisse began, tapping her fingers together nervously, "I tried to inherit my families magical crest, but I was not strong enough to bear its might at the time, leaving my cousin to inherit the title of family head."

She began to ramble a bit and had to slow down her speech forcefully twice, finding that she was speaking about things that she didn't need to mention. Rossweisse began to eventually talk about her time in college, and to her shame, mentioned the fact that she had never been involved romantically in her life due to her pursuing a higher education first and foremost. Somehow, the topic drifted to things she had studied in college as well as things she has written about extensively.

"I would be most interested in reading the essay." Minato admitted quickly upon hearing that she wrote an essay on the study of Trihexa, one of the very beings that Minato knew so little about. If anything, that sealed the deal for Minato into her induction into his faction.

She was powerful and intelligent, scarily so when she began to speak in depth on different subjects when Minato would ask more probing questions. Rossweisse also spoke with an accent when she was flustered about her answers, and for some reason, she reminded Minato of a timid rabbit. Perhaps it was the ribbons in her hair, or the way her voice lilted, but it was like a breath of fresh air compared to the nonsense he usually expected to come from the supernatural.

Rossweisse was very down to earth, but driven and serious instead of childish and vapid, even desiring to become a teacher at some point in her life. Upon the topic of payments, health insurance and things of that nature, Minato showed her a sample check of what he deposited to each of his Servants accounts weekly for their own shopping and personal needs.

He could tell by the look on her face that it was satisfactory, especially when she dumbly nodded in the affirmative when he offered to set her own account up the next day.

Minato could tell that calling her a virgin, or mentioning her lack of a love life would upset her to tears, so he made sure to steer clear of those subjects and would continue to do so. Odin seemed fond of taunting the woman, trying to upset her on purpose. Minato would not be doing that.

Overall, Minato was pleased with what he had heard, and was ready to introduce her to the rest of his Family before calling it a day. The paperwork could wait, he needed a long bath and to take an even longer nap before he felt like managing a cities worth of problems.

 **[EX]**

"Oh my, she is just darling~!" Nyx cooed upon seeing Rossweisse, now wearing a business suit instead of her battle armor. The residents of the Velvet Tower gathered for dinner as they did every night, this time not having any guests from the Gremory or Sitri Peerages outside of Sona, Koneko and Kiba. It seemed that Rias, Akeno and Issei were busy with one thing or another concerning the boys training while Irina was off completing a contract. The rest of the Sitri Peerage was training Saji in endurance, something Minato thought the boy was severely lacking in the first place.

The look Sona gave him when he agreed with her words about his lacking stamina was incredulous at first before she immediately masked it. Sona figured quickly that Minato was speaking of a different type of physical endurance than most of her Peerage was speaking of and didn't bother informing him otherwise.

Sona was glad she was able to get away from the doll eyes her underlings were always making at one another, having enough of it to last her a life time. Tsubaki was at least sensible to only make doll eyes at Kiba, and even then, it was hardly the same types of looks.

"I... thank you." Rossweisse blushed at the praise, not used to being in the presence of such polite Gods and Goddesses like Thanatos, Nyx or Ophis.

Introductions had gone rather smoothly, and it seemed everyone was thankful for her joining the faction.

Minato had been spending more time doing paperwork for the past week than spending time with those who cared about him deeply, and it bothered them to no end. If Rossweisse was able to help deal with the massive influx of documents, then Minato would be able to spend more time with everyone else.

Lilith and Ophis were once more having a competition on who could monopolize being fed the longest, leaving Minato unable to eat his dinner as he was too busy feeding his greedy Dragons to do so.

Nyx didn't bother answering, instead just giving the blue eyed Valkyrie a kind smile before going back to her dinner and wine.

Xenovia was still flustered about the orange ring that appeared on her finger after Minato appeared to check on the three earlier that evening. It gave her a warm feeling, one that she realized felt like she was missing it all along. After appearing on her finger, it seemed she could either will it into her body, or leave it as an inactive ring.

Minato had quickly informed her that it was a Sacred Gear named 'Variable Detonation', one that allowed her to cause any surface she came into contact with to explode. Xenovia immediately translated that into making things her sword hit explode, and fell in love with it as soon as the thought formed.

Exploding swords were to die for.

"I am interested in learning Norse magic, if you wouldn't mind teaching?" Xenovia questioned slowly, turning to face the silver haired Valkyrie and not focus so much on the orange ring on her finger, "I don't have much to offer in return..."

"I wouldn't mind at all." Rossweisse affirmed, knowing that she was expected to get along with those who lived with Thanatos as well, "If any others wish to learn as well, I would not be opposed to teaching." If anything, the prospect of teaching highly appealed to her. It was one of the few things in the world that almost made her feel useful, if anything. Constantly being put down by Odin and the other Valkyries had put a damper on her self-esteem, something teaching others helped restore.

Minato was just as interested in learning, as his only Norse spells were rather destructive. If he could glean how to lower the strength by gaining new runes to use in his magic circles instead of those associated with the spells 'Thunder Reign' and 'Niflheim', then perhaps he could even begin to branch off and create his own Futhark runic alphabet like he did with his own creations.

Minato doubted Odin would like to know that one of his signature attacks was capable of being casted by another God, even if both had friendly rapport with one another at this point. Niflheim, however, was free game, Loki could go screw himself as far as Minato cared about the traitorous giant turned God.

He proposed to teach Rossweisse a few of his own techniques in turn, as did Bennia with Grim Reaper magic, something that was apparently highly sought after. Magic coming from the Land of the Dead was ancient, far older than the Babylonian magic Minato had been so interested in learning. Minato had already learned all he could from the petite Grim Reaper, even drank it in like a dehydrated man in a desert.

Dinner devolved into discussion on magical theory of all things, feeling more like a class than a meal. Everyone at the long table learned quite a bit that night and each had been quick to state that they would enjoy discussing the subject again as a group.

 **[EX]**

Koneko followed him to his office quietly, not needing to speak. Minato had gestured for her to follow along with him after departing from the hall, and she could tell his mind was heavy with something.

The large gathering had gone back to what they were doing, ranging from studying to praying, considering the kind voice of Asia that Minato could hear in the back of his head.

As a matter of fact, he realized could almost always hear the prayers of those in his Cult at this point. The more they prayed, the stronger the connection he felt with them, it seemed. Eventually, it came to the point that the constant drawing on his essence to grant the minor wishes of protection and healing resulted in a constant growth of his reservoir of the godly energy that dwelt within him.

"Everything okay?" Koneko questioned curiously as she sat in his lap, laying her head on his chest as his hands came up to run his fingers through her hair without a thought.

Minato did not answer for a few minutes, instead lost in thought. He could not put it off any longer, but he was scared to breach the subject.

"Koneko... do you trust me?" Minato eventually asked the one question he felt it would be best to start with, looking down at the petite Devil that became his first bond in this world.

"With my life." Koneko answered resolutely without missing a beat, not mincing her words as usual. Minato had done everything in his power to teach her, to protect her and to spend time with her. Instead of distancing himself when he knew he could have, Minato had allowed the girl to get closer and closer until she used him as a pillow more often than not.

It was not lightly that Koneko made that statement. Minato had captured her heart, and she knew that she, too, held a place in his. Minato had been nothing but a gentleman, taking her to see movies and buying her candy just to cheer her up on days she was thinking of her past.

She had inched past a simple crush, past the passion into something she genuinely knew was love.

"If... I told you that your sister didn't go crazy, that she had a reason..." Minato trailed off, a pained expression crossing his face, "What if I told you she did it for you?"

"I..." Koneko did not immediately respond, instead staring up at Minato intently, not angry but certainly not pleased. She was not expecting Minato to ever bring up the subject, though he obviously had a reason to if he were doing it now.

Everything was starting to make sense to the Nekoshou, as far as the Youkai scent that seemed to hang around Minato like a cloud on some days.

One she had done her best to ignore, thinking that it was just some coincidence and perhaps he just had Nekomata guests over on some days.

"I would ask why." Koneko stated after a few moments of silence, her hands balling into fists. Her body tensed as if she were going to bolt before Minato settled his arms over her gently.

Instead of trying to fight, the young Nekoshou began to settle down until her body relaxed once more. Try as she might, she couldn't be upset until she heard what he had to say. Koneko was not lying when she said she trusted Minato with her life, and if he said that Kuroka had not gone crazy, there had to be a reason he thought so.

He would not make such statements without hard evidence. Minato was not a simple man, and would do his best to confirm the veracity of such statements before breaching the subject with Koneko herself, of all people.

"Would you be willing to hear it from her? This is not my story to tell." Minato gently questioned, knowing that this would be the breaking point should she choose to say no. He had to tread very carefully for the next few minutes, as one wrong phrasing, one slip of the tongue could lead Koneko to severing all ties with him with even the best of outcomes.

"...Yes." Koneko eventually answered with a nod of her head, causing Minato to let out a deep breath that he didn't know he was holding.

She could tell that the way Minato held himself that this meant something to him, and she was at least willing to hear the story first.

A text was sent, and moments later, someone from Konekos past came into her life once more. Kuroka wore her usual set of black and crimson robes with the bells attached to her belt, revealing more of her flesh than covering almost. Her hair was pulled into the two hoops that hung behind her ears as normal, no longer loose due to the conflict. The elder Nekoshou still had a luscious form, something Koneko noticed with a frown. Seeing her elder sister so filled out as she was made Koneko feel slightly inadequate about her own form.

The youngest Nekoshou knew that her body was not one that would attract most people, instead leaving her to be a target of lolicons like a few of her clients. Minato didn't seem to admire her for her petite form, or even hold it against her. Instead, he accepted her for who she was, size and all, and that was what made her feel so strongly about him.

"Hello, Shirone." Kuroka greeted lightly, almost painfully. The look on her face was one of longing, like looking into a warm home on a cold day, knowing you have no where to go. The feeling was so intense that Minato could almost taste it, the desperation tinting it a completely different flavor than before. Melancholy and love were two strange emotions to mix, yet they went together as if they were destined to follow one another.

"Kuroka." Koneko greeted simply, not moving from her spot in Minatos lap, "Say what you have to say."

Kuroka nodded her head before sitting down in the chair in front of the desk, studying the face of her little sister up close for the first time in a long time.

Her spying had forced her to remain at a distance, unable to see the exact details she so desperately wished to see.

Shirone was going to be beautiful when, if, she started to hit her growth spurts, Kuroka had no doubt about that. Even now, she was the cutest kitten anyone could ever see, but that may have been her own biased thoughts making her think such things. Her golden eyes were lighter than the amber eyes of Kuroka, that much the elder Nekoshou could tell with just a glance.

She carried herself with pride, and right now, Koneko seemed to be territorial with the way she was hiding Minato from view subconsciously with her back. The youngest Nekoshou had powerful feelings for Minato, then. Kuroka was pleased, as that meant perhaps in the future, she could play out one of her darkest fantasies.

That was, if Koneko ever forgave her. She still had to worry about that issue first. Kuroka was still struggling with the concept of not counting her chickens before they hatched.

"I... I am sorry, Shirone. I know I do not have the right to beg forgiveness, not after... not after the things that have happened to you because of me. I did it to protect you, Shirone. I won't sugar coat it," Kuroka trailed off to gulp in air, having depleted her reserves with her desperation, "He was going to experiment on you. He would conduct them on me, wanting to harness the power of Senjutsu for himself, and when I tried resisting... he threatened to go after you in his experiments. I couldn't allow him to do that."

Koneko felt her world tilt and turn uncomfortably as her anger, her hatred towards her sister was stricken numb.

'She... did it for me?' Koneko thought to herself shakily, and she could tell it was not only her inner voice that was unsteady. She felt Minato tighten his hold a bit, not to restrain her but to provide her a sense of comfort. Koneko felt herself lean further into his embrace, but it may as well have been subconsciously at this point, as not a single, comprehensible thought was fluttering through her head at that moment.

Koneko couldn't feel anything but emptiness at this point.

"I... I could have died!" Koneko shouted, venom in her voice as her eyes flashed a dangerous amber, "I was almost HUNG!"

"I KNOW!" Kuroka cried, tears falling from her eyes as she stared at her little sister, someone she thought she would never speak to again, "I begged for your life! I was the one who asked Sirzechs to spare you! He knew the truth!"

"You..." Koneko trailed off once more, a sinking feeling growing in her stomach. Sirzechs knew? Sirzechs knew that Kuroka did not go insane, yet claimed she did? Then understanding began to dawn on her.

Sirzechs could not speak out to spare each and every member of the Nekoshou, as they all fell under the control of the Bael family. Instead, he did his best to spare the one person who meant the most to Kuroka, and that was Koneko herself. He was willing to sacrifice his own 'political points' just to save her life at the behest of Kuroka.

Kuroka would not simply involve Sirzechs if she couldn't back up her claim, especially considering that Koneko could ask Rias to confirm it for her in a heartbeat.

That meant that her older sister protected her from being experimented on, as well as being hung in the public square in Bael territory like the rest of their species. What did she have, then, if not her anger at her sister? Of her fear of Senjutsu? What was Koneko, now that she knew that most of her life, she had grown to hate a sister that did what she did to protect her?

Kuroka had slaughtered the man she served to protect her from being experimented on, and then took banishment as a criminal of the highest order, even allowing herself to be labeled a psychopath as a result.

Kuroka couldn't have been lying. Koneko knew from experimenting herself that Minato could detect lies beyond anything Koneko had ever heard of, like a living detector. She had tested the theory by feeding him false information mixed with true information, blended perfectly to the point that most would have a hard time telling there was misinformation scattered in the sentences. He was able to pick out the falsities, each of them, on the very first try.

Koneko didn't respond further, tears welling in her eyes as she thought more and more of what has been revealed to her.

She couldn't hate her sister, not knowing what she knew now, but that did not change the fact that she was abandoned. "Why didn't you take me with you?" Koneko whispered bitterly, her tears tracing her cheeks freely.

The youngest Nekoshou felt a finger tracing below her eyes before her tears were dried by Minato almost idly. She found that she liked the treatment, as his doting reminded her that she had support no matter what she chose to do.

"I couldn't bring you with me, Shirone. The lifestyle I was forced to live on the run, I couldn't wish that on you... Despite the very rough beginning, Sirzechs and Rias offered you a much better life than I could have provided..." Kuroka admitted shamefully, leaning forward until her face was tilted downwards. Her lips, stained purple with lipstick, were pulled taut in thought as if she were sucking on a lemon, her eyebrows furrowed deeply.

Kuroka looked lost, and it showed Koneko that she was not the only one who was being hurt by the decisions her elder sister had made. The oldest Nekoshou had suffered as well with the loss of all she had left in the world.

"I'm so sorry, Koneko... I keep forgetting you go by a different name by now." Kuroka mumbled almost in afterthought, motioning to stand and leave the room now that she had said her piece. "You don't have to forgive me, I know I don't deserve it. I just want you to know that I love you, Sh- Koneko, I love you with all of my heart. Your older sister is a free woman now, you know... so expect to see me around, yeah?"

As she turned to leave after rising from the velvet blue plush chair, Kuroka was stopped when she heard the sound of sobbing. Turning her head to apologize for making her cry, she was cut off when her little sister collided with her body like a missile, knocking her off of her feet and onto her back in almost the same way Kuroka had collided with Minato.

Neither Koneko nor Kuroka had to say anything as Koneko buried her head into her older sisters dress, crying like a freshly born babe. All of the anger she held onto, the hatred she felt, it all seemed to melt away only to reveal the ugly, hidden truth. Koneko had missed her older sister more than anything in the world.

Minato quietly excused himself from the office and allowed the two sisters to confiscate the area for themselves for the time being. Sona had asked for another few matches in chess, and it wouldn't do for him to interrupt such a moment.

 **[EX]**

The two sisters had later retired to the room being occupied by Kuroka, exchanging stories between one another as if they had just met each other. It seemed that Koneko wanted to move on from the past, and Kuroka, while saddened, had agreed and allowed the two to start fresh.

Koneko would not likely forget the scars left, nor the abandonment issues she suffered for them. Minato did not expect their relationship to blossom into sisterhood again for a while yet, but Koneko seemed willing to rebuild the bridge burned to the ground by Kuroka so long ago.

Minato had taken the moment of reprieve to take another quick shower before leaving, finding that he could still feel the blood on his skin despite taking two long baths before dinner.

Perhaps it was just him, but the ichor ran thick down the drains when he finally washed himself from a skirmishes worth of bloodshed. Lilith was spending time with Asia and Tanato while Ophis was likely admiring the trophy brought to her, leaving him to bathe without worry of being spied upon by a Dragon God or two.

It was peaceful, and Minato had to keep reminding himself of his date with Sona, which he was two minutes late for by the time he pulled himself from the extra warm water and redressed himself.

"I apologize for being late. I might have a problem," Minato admitted, sitting down at the small table dedicated to the ornate chess board the two had been playing against one another with for weeks, "Warm water and myself get along far too well."

"Have you thought of getting a sauna installed?" Sona questioned idly, not bothering to address his slight lateness. It didn't bother her like it should have, especially knowing how much he had to deal with himself on a daily basis. She was the President of the Student Council and had to deal with all of the administrative paperwork that came with it. The Principal of the Academy, if he could even really be called that, was a mere figurehead once Sona had entered her third year.

As such, she knew of the dreaded paperwork that came with her own position. She dreaded the type of work that Minato had to deal with. Serafall was lucky when it came to her job, as she had her entire Peerage to help her in all of her endeavors, including dealing with the wonderful documents and filing that came with being the head of Foreign Affairs.

"No, the thought never crossed my mind. Thank you very much." Minato nodded his head gratefully in her direction before whipping out his phone and sending an emergency text to Azazel, telling him of his order and demanding that it get done as quickly as he could. Minato was not joking around, he needed that sauna in his life and he needed it yesterday.

He was cold, sue him.

"It is no problem, Minato." Sona smiled softly, seeing the grateful expression on his face as he stared at her from across the chess board. She felt her heart flutter a bit and a small dusting of blush crossed her face. 'Such a simple suggestion, and he looks at me as if I were his savior.' Sona thought to herself, giddy with emotions she came to associate with the blue haired man before her.

She couldn't consider him a teenager, nor a boy for that matter, not with what she had seen from him. Sona had seen him go from being a wanderer with nothing to his name and turn himself into a force to be absolutely feared. The first time she had met him, she was curious as to why he left a void of nothingness in his wake, letting off not even an iota of passive energy from his obviously impressive reserves.

He had thought he was a human, lost as to his true nature. Sona had thought him a human as well, until she saw for herself just what he was capable of. Minato was capable of casting healing spells so powerful that it could have been resurrection, yet his repertoire of spells dedicated to combat dwarfed them. He was an absolute mystery to her, as she found that his memories had in fact been sealed away, leaving him to truly think he was an eighteen year old human being.

That left her the question, though, of just what kind of human being did he think he was, casting magic so powerful that it could change the landscape around him permanently, so casually? Minato acted as if his level of power were the most natural thing in the world, and that threw Sona for a loop. She knew there was far more to his 'Human' past than he was saying, and he even left a few clues as to what they were.

There was no 'Kirijo Group', let alone one that made a phone as complicated as his. That was the only clue to let her know that something kept him from speaking about his past, his human past and not the one sealed away by the God of the Bible.

"What are your plans for the summer holiday?" Sona asked him after a few more moments of silence between the two, each having lost themselves in the game until the female Devil eventually won the match. Resetting the board, Minato had to think about it for a few moments before shrugging his shoulders.

"In between dealing with paperwork, getting Rossweisse settled into my group and the upcoming meeting between the Christian factions, the Norse factions and my own, not much." Minato admitted, pursing his lips in thought after remembering that he now owned a water front home in the Underworld. "Perhaps I can bring the girls and just have everything forwarded to me while we are in the Underworld."

"I think it would be good for them to relax for a while. Bennia has brought her grades back up, and I had a wager with her that she wouldn't make it into the top twenty students before the end of the year. She certainly beat my expectations." Sona giggled a bit, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose with her middle finger lazily. She stretched a bit and lazed backwards, having learned to relax in his presence much like she would have around Rias. "I owe her a free pass on the next prank she pulls. I cringe every time I think about what she is going to do."

Minato had the strange effect of making others want to talk to him and spend time with him, despite being such a serious person. His softer side had finally made its way to the surface after a few months of spending time with Koneko and those who had come to live with him, and Sona was glad to be able to see it. Now, however, he seemed so much kinder.

His silver eyes had life in them once more, no longer vacant of warmth. When he first arrived at the Academy, Sona had thought him an aloof, sarcastic loner. Whatever scars he brought with him, whatever ghosts haunted him still had seemed to allow him to rest for a bit, however, allowed him to regain some of his lost happiness. She could tell something was burdening him still, an ache in his heart that he refused to speak of, but it was lessened, almost like it scabbed over and is slowly becoming whole again.

Sona may have been intimidated by him before, but now she couldn't help but see him as a valiant protector, and a brilliant tactician and leader. He taught her much with such effeciency that he needn't repeat himself twice for her to grasp what he was explaining.

She wanted him to teach in her school, badly. Her dream to open up an Academy dedicated to Rating Games, open for all Devils no matter their status as reincarnated or pureblood, and he would be the perfect person to have lecture the students.

"Well, I think I will have to reward her. Thank you for telling me now, it gives me time to pick something out before her grades are officially released." Minato seemed pleased at the admission from Sona, even filled with pride.

Sona was a bit jealous. She wanted Minato to be proud of her, too.

She didn't know he already was.

 **[EX]**

"Please keep that... _creature_ away from me, Asia!" Xenovia cried pitifully, her favorite pair of lacy panties having been ruined by the strange black Dragon that had taken up nesting in the High Priestesses hair, "I am begging you. This is the third time this week! It hurts!"

"I am so sorry, Xenovia! Please forgive me!" Asia cried, doing her best to lurch forward to hug the blue haired Executioner. Xenovia did her best to run away from the High Priestess, seeing the look the tiny Dragon was giving her once more.

She was no longer wearing underwear for the creature to target, leaving her shorts and tank top as a likely target should he attack her once more.

"Get awayyy! No~!" Xenovia continued to cry, tears pouring down her cheeks as she ran from the blond haired teenager, "Please! No more!"

Asia seemed to know exactly what she was doing, because she continued to deliberately chase the girl, despite knowing that her friends clothes would likely get destroyed in the process. The chase continued through the hallway, removing the shirt from Xenovia and eventually her shorts once the girls had reached the fifth floor.

"Master, Please!" Xenovia whimpered as she ran into his room, naked as the day she was born. Minato was alone in his room for once, neither Lilith, Nyx nor Ophis being present to mess with him or stare at him as he crawled into bed.

The blue haired Executioner leaped over the large chest at the foot of his bed and tackled him before rolling him until his body hid her from view. Asia stood at the doorway with a smug look on her face before wagging her fingers at Xenovia before walking away with her hands on her hips.

'What the hell was that about?' Minato thought to himself before realization dawned on him. Looking downwards, he could see the blushing face of Xenovia looking back up at him with adoration as clear as day. The two stared at one another for quite a few moments before Minato felt his eyes tracing downwards, taking in the curves and flesh of her body.

The moonlight that flooded into the room from the open windows danced across her skin, and Minato felt himself getting lost in her golden eyes. Any thoughts of just why she was in his bed naked disappeared like a candle being blown out in a typhoon, long gone within moments.

Xenovia thought she knew what a God looked like, but she found herself correcting her earlier assessments of the image and redefining the meaning of 'Glory'. Minato had perched himself over her like a man about to dive headfirst into a lovers body, protectively and with no amount of hesitance. His body rippled and flexed, the shadows and pale silver light dancing across his scarred flesh was a masterpiece, and she felt like singing his songs of praise until the sun rose.

Minato found himself drawn to her plump lips, glistening and inviting his own so sweetly. He ignored the warning he gave himself in the back of his head, his voice of reason trying to tell him to think a bit more clearly. Something about the way her body lay beneath him woke something he thought he buried when his heart was given back to him, no longer held by another. Kuroka had awoken the same passion, the same burning feeling that he almost dared to call Lust.

His will to resist that drawing wavered, the pulling so much like gravity that he felt, centralized on those crimson shaded lips that parted and whispered his name in relish. Minato felt himself leaning forward further and further until they were nose to nose. He felt her breath tickle his chin and throat, so warm and minty that he relished the sensation.

"Minato...Master, I..." Xenovia whispered lowly before she lifted her head, forgetting herself for a moment as she locked her lips with the figure leaning over her. She closed her eyes and brought her hands up around his neck and shoulders, lost completely in the sensations bombarding her.

Xenovia felt she could get used to the feeling. She fell asleep not much longer after that after having to stop for a breath, though neither of them seemed to mind.

Minato lay in bed after making sure her body was covered properly, staring at his ceiling while deep in thought.

'Kuroka, this is your fault.'

Or so he kept telling himself until sleep claimed him.


	38. Tussle in the Ancient Capital

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **3**_ _ **8,**_ _ **Tussle in the**_ _ **Ancient Capital**_

 _T_ _o the guest, thank you for pointing it out. I know my grammar isn't the best, and every reminder helps me fix_ _my mistakes_ _. I will do my best to go back and edit the chapters as I go in the months ahead._

 _I will not be going through the events of Persona Q in this story._

 _Indeed, Warden of Lore, INDEED._

 _Crystallum, that is indeed the case. The more followers a God has, the more power he gains. They are born with a set amount of power, it seems, and their growth depends on their Domain, their followers and their experience. Indra hinted to that much in the Light Novels, I believe._

 _It was Volume 10 as a matter of fact that he mentioned it. The Gods 'Gather the thoughts and belief of humans'. The direct purpose is not stated, though it can be assumed that it has to do with the strength of the god and the influence of their religion._

 _Minato was already powerful as a Human. Once he awakened the Universe Arcana, the seal binding his godly energy from his previous life was broken. The only reason he did not return to his godly status in the Persona world was because he left his soul inside of the Great Seal to act as a filter for Erebus, preventing the Fall._

 _Something or SOMEONE was left behind to act as the Great Seal once Minato was pulled from it. I cannot believe that someone hasn't guessed it by now._

 _Weeping Water,_ _t_ _he fact that Minato fused with the Persona Thanatos and thus the personality of Ryoji is indeed one of the major factors in awakening his 'libido' so to speak. Believe it or not, it also has to do with the fact he is the reincarnation of a Chthonian God, one of the oldest at that. Most Chthonian Gods are tied with fertility in one way or another, as Demeter and Persephone bear mostly the same domain._

 _We will see, Chu. Qlippoth and the Evil Dragons will have their part in the story. As a matter of fact, relatively soon in the grand scheme of things._

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

"This isn't what it looks like." Minato admitted a few moments after his eyes snapped open, looking to his left where the nude form of Xenovia slept before looking to his right, where the nude form of Kuroka was curled into his side. "I swear."

"Are... are you sure?" Bennia questioned almost sadly, causing Minato to remove the blankets around his waist to prove it. Thankfully, Kuroka did not strip him in his sleep like he was sure she was capable of.

The petite Grim Reaper looked relieved, as did Minato. "Okay. Breakfast is ready, Master. You slept in pretty late!"

"Ah, sorry. I will be down in just a moment, let me see if I can get these two up and moving." Minato yawned once more, stretching his arms above his head before trotting to the closet to get ready for the day.

Thankfully it was a Sunday, allowing him to spend time getting Rossweisse used to working with him before his time was cut in half as far as productivity went due to classes.

It was a simple suit type of Sunday, leaving Minato clad in all black save his button down shirt, which was white.

'Now how do I wake up Kuroka...?' Minato wondered to himself, knowing that Xenovia would be easy to wake up. The Nekoshou, however, he knew would not be.

Minato started his attempts with poking, which was unsuccessful. Calling her name and shaking her did not work, either. He was going to continue his attempts when he saw her puckering her lips, indicating how she wished to be 'woken up', despite being awake already and only pretending to be asleep. Minato crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes before leaning down until he was eye level with her. "Is this going to be a common occurrence?"

Kuroka didn't answer, continuing to wait until she was given what she wanted. Minato eventually relented and as he was drawing back, she laced her hand through his hair quickly and drew him back in. She nibbled at his bottom lip and Minato had to stop himself from physically reacting. As it was, he felt his arms uncross against his will and grasp the edge of the bed to help maintain his balance.

Finally, he was able to pull back and out of the embrace of the Nekoshou, who looked up at him with a pleased and slightly flush face. "Well good morning to you too, Nya~! Hey, hey, I have an idea..."

Minato almost didn't want to know, but found himself asking against his best judgment. "What kind of idea, Kuroka?"

"I've always wanted to have a little bit of... sneaky fun, you know~?" Kuroka waggled her eyebrows while tracing her finger from her collarbone to her thighs after licking the tip sensually, "She won't wake up, I promise."

"No." Minato did his best to not think about it, he truly did. Kuroka noticed his slightly flustered expression and let out a lewd giggle, slinking her way from the surface of his large mattress before wrapping herself around his shoulders as she always did. Kuroka pressed her body deeply into his back while reaching her hands around his waist, tracing along his belt with her nail. "Kuroka, breakfast is ready. I'm hungry, are you hungry?"

Minato quickly wiggled from her grasp and moved to the side of the bed before shaking Xenovia not so gently to wake her up and help save him from Kuroka's antics.

"Xenovia, time to get up." Minato quickly informed the girl, causing her to snap her eyes open only for them to loll and close seconds later, mumbling about not wanting to get up. Kuroka was getting close once more, ready to pounce before he shrugged his shoulders and sank into the floor through the usage of his shadow, disappearing just as Kuroka made the leap.

The elder Nekoshou landed atop of Xenovia, who wrapped her arms around the woman before rolling over, treating her as if she was a teddy-bear.

Kuroka struggled for a few minutes before finding that the strength of the Executioner was through the roof, easily as strong as her sister Koneko in raw power. Xenovia and Kuroka did not show up for breakfast that morning.

 **[EX]**

The paperwork was so much easier to deal with now that Minato had a secretary. Rossweisse had set up a system involving quite a few sorting spells that would automatically help the two figure out which letters came from which faction, not to mention those that came from higher ups or nobodies as far as political influence went.

Things had gone so smoothly, in fact, that Minato was left with only two letters to read after just a few hours of working, leaving him with quite some time before night fell.

"Are you sure that is all you need help with?" Rossweisse questioned unsurely, shifting her weight from one foot to another while her arms were held behind her. "I didn't do anything to upset you, did I?"

"What? No, nothing of the sort. We are done for the day is all." Minato assured her with a light frown on his face. Rossweisse, while extremely skilled when it came to dealing with large amounts of paperwork, seemed to lack self confidence.

She had accidentally touched his hand once or twice while passing him documents to look over before apologizing profusely, as if he were going to fire her for coming into contact with him without permission. Any time he called her name, she would flinch as if she were expecting him to lash out at her or verbally assault her.

"Okay, if you are sure..." Rossweisse trailed off for a moment, looking as if she didn't know what she was going to do with herself, "If you need me, just call me and I will be here in a heartbeat, I swear."

"I do not think I need further assistance, but it is appreciated, Rossweisse." Minato tried to be polite in turning down the offered help, and it seemed to only make things worse. She drew back as if struck, and Minato began to understand a bit of where her nervousness was coming from.

Rossweisse was used to being worked like a horse for much less than she was making now. She must feel like she was taking advantage of him, something that she was not doing in the least. If anything, he was taking advantage of her, considering he thought that she already deserved a raise for the help she gave him in setting up the sorting system for his paperwork.

"We can sit and talk for a while, if you would like?" Minato offered as he gently set the two letters down on his desk, locking eyes with the silver haired Valkyrie from across the room. When she nodded her head in the affirmative and gingerly slid into the chair across from him, he leaned forward and began to speak about the first thing that came to mind.

The two sat for quite a while, speaking about nothing and everything they could think of. The sound of rain kept them company throughout the entire ordeal, gently pounding away at the glass windows.

It was only around lunch time did she take her leave far less nervous than before, letting Minato gather his thoughts for a few moments before looking back down at the two letters on his desk.

One came from the Carmilla faction, and the other from the Youkai of Kyoto. Deciding that he had put the two letters off for long enough, he opened the letter addressed to him from a woman named Yasaka and began to read.

After a few moments, he set the paper down, rubbed his eyes and began to read it once more. The page was entirely blank until he opened the letter fully, it seemed. The moment he did, writing began to appear as if it were being written in real-time and not in the past.

 _'Thanatos-Dono, have the Youkai offended you?'_

Minato waited a few moments before he reached for his pen and scrawled out his reply slowly, unsure as to how the piece of paper seemed to work.

'No, they have not. I apologize, I have been rather busy. It was not my intention to ignore you.' Minato eventually wrote, 'Who am I writing with?'

 _'I am Yasaka, leader of the Youkai in Kyoto.'_

Well that answered _that_ question.

'I see. I apologize again, Yasaka-Dono.' Minato wrote, knowing that it was in his best interest to try and salvage the damage already done by his ignoring of her letter, 'What is it you wished to speak about?'

 _'It is alright, I understand that you are a busy person.'_

Yasaka seemed like an understanding individual. That was always a good thing. She didn't answer his main question, however, so he let it slide for a moment and continued the conversation. 'It is something special, that is for certain.'

 _'Special is a word to use, I guess. With the stormy weather we have been having, however, I have no choice but to stay indoors and finish what I can.'_

It seemed she was more interested in small talk than anything else at the moment, and Minato continued to humor her for another fifteen minutes or so before she finally revealed the reason she opened up communication with him.

 _'Would you be willing to meet with me, perhaps?'_

Minato knew that he needed to pose his next question as gently as possible.

'You are still willing to speak with me, despite my allies?'

She did not answer for a few moments before extremely beautiful writing danced across the surface of the paper again, this time far more smoothly than not.

 _'The past is the past, and times are changing. It has come to my knowledge that you have formed close bonds with not one, but both of the remaining Nekoshou?'_

It was almost as if he were talking with two different people at this point. Sometimes the writing was sloppy, but not illegible. It was as if it were a student of calligraphy writing him for a few moments only for the master to write over their shoulders.

'I would ask how you came across this information, of course.' Minato wrote out, not beating around the bush with his words in the least at this point.

 _'The Devil-Net has been enraptured by every action you take, you know. I could tell you, though, if you really wanted...'_

Ah, that... explained so much, yet so little. It was a good non-answer, Minato had to give it to her. She wanted him to meet with her badly enough to bait him with information, it seems.

'When did you wish to meet?' Minato eventually responded after pulling out his daily planner, ready to work her in as soon as he could, if possible.

 _'How about today?'_

Well, damn. Minato knew he had the free time, but he wanted to spend time with Lilith. She had expressed the same by staring at him until he got the message just before he started on managing the running of Kuoh for the day. Thinking about it a bit, he eventually responded with a question of his own.

'Can I bring my daughter?'

This time, it was Yasaka who hesitated for a minute or so before responding in the affirmative. In two hours, Minato would be holding a meeting with one of the minor faction leaders with the fire power of a major faction. He only hoped she was as mature as she seemed in their exchange of writing. The letter from the Carmilla faction would have to wait until he could get back.

 **[EX]**

"Ah..." Lilith murmured aloud, making a noise of contentment as she held her fathers hand. The two walked side by side through the streets of Kyoto, ignoring the rain that tapped lightly against the umbrella Minato held for the two. Like her mother, Lilith seemed to enjoy wearing nothing but Gothic-Lolita dresses while he had changed into a better suit to appear in, namely his thicker velvet blue suit with the longer coat.

Most residents of the outer city were indoors despite the fact that the rain had subsided quite a bit, leaving Minato and Lilith to travel in peace as they grew closer and closer to Kinkaku-Ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion.

Approaching the secluded Torii gate that Yasaka indicated would be his way through, Minato turned to address Lilith one more time before the two stepped through.

"Remember, stick by my side, alright Lilith?" Minato questioned gently, making sure that she understood she was supposed to remain with him the entire trip. Lilith was incredibly powerful, he knew that much, but she was still not well learned on the workings of the world, nor the cruelty that every being was capable of.

Minato wanted to protect that innocence for as long as he could. Her memories of her time with Rizevim and the things she did for him were lost upon her, leaving her a blank slate of ancient instinct and unbridled strength. Lilith was his precious little Dragon and Minato would destroy absolutely anything and everything that so much as looked at his daughter in the wrong way.

The past month had allowed him to form a solid, unbreakable bond with the young girl between feeding her and reading to her before she fell asleep. Despite learning at an incredibly rapid rate, Lilith seemed as disinterested in speaking as her mother was. Minato, in his natural, resting state was just as silent, though circumstances prevented him from reverting to his mute ways. Communication was important with the running of such an expansive faction as his had become.

"Ah... okay." Lilith nodded her head, staring up at her father in adoration for a few moments before she faced forward once more. Minato quietly handed her a small chocolate bar, something she gratefully snatched and began to devour with relish as the two stepped through the Torii gate separating Outer Kyoto from Inner Kyoto.

The transition was like stepping from the daylight, directly into midnight. The atmosphere of Inner Kyoto was certainly much darker than that of the Outer realm of the human portion of the ancient capital. Paper lanterns floated through the air gently, blue flames suspended in the center of each.

Some of the lanterns even displayed eyes and a mouth, whispering their hellos as Minato examined each one. Lilith waved at them with chocolate covering her mouth and hands, causing Minato to pause for a moment to wipe her mouth with his handkerchief.

'You are so much like Ophis it isn't funny.' Minato thought to himself before he applied a cleaning spell to the white piece of cloth and stuffed it back into his breast pocket.

Rows upon rows of Heian styled homes lined the main street that Minato and Lilith now walked, each slowly taking in the sights.

Kitsune Youkai strolled along the streets, speaking with one another in hushed tones as they shot Minato and his daughter curious glances. Some were excited, it seemed, while others were distrustful.

Karasu-Tengu walked in smaller congregations, adorned in what Minato knew was the uniform of the Yamabushi, or the esoteric mountain hermits. Some bore angry red masks on the sides of their face, others did not, but each had the head of a crow with the body of a rather fit man.

Only a singular female Karasu-Tengu walked at the back of the crowd, seemingly lost in thought as she went. She looked completely human, if not for the strange wing-like arms and bird-like legs. Minato was reminded of a Harpy, but kept his observations to himself. Perhaps she was a half-breed.

"Ah, you came so soon?" Came the sound of a melodious voice to their right, causing Minato and Lilith to come to a stop as he turned to face the woman who addressed them.

Seated with a small congregation of Youkai was whom Minato immediately knew was the leader of her faction. The whispers of strength, the way the land sang her name let him know as much. She bore the deepest connection with nature that Minato had ever felt, easily surpassing his own minor connection and Kuroka's much larger by miles.

Yasaka was drop dead gorgeous with a body to conduct a massacre for. She was buxom, easily as filled out as Kuroka from what he could tell. Her clothing did well to hide her figure, leaving absolutely everything up to the imagination of those whose eyes might be graced with her visage. She wore the attire of a shrine maiden, though he could tell that there were some details that were changed to denote her station. The most golden blond hair that Minato had ever seen spilled from her head in long tresses and eyes the same shade.

Her daughter was dressed in the same attire, if only many sizes smaller than her mother. An inverted pentagram was etched upon both sleeves of her haori with strange runes surrounding each point.

The many Youkai quickly dismissed themselves from the presence of their leader after she waved them away, leaving Yasaka and her daughter to stare at Minato and Lilith in a rather peculiar fashion.

"I apologize if I am early, Yasaka-Dono, I wished to show Lilith around for a little while before we were to meet." Minato bowed lightly at the waist towards the woman, hoping that she was not upset with him or his daughter for his early arrival.

She had stated that he didn't need a guide and he was welcome to come freely into Kyoto, and thus giving him a bit of free reign as far as visiting shrines dedicated to other Gods as he went. Instead of approaching each shrine, he and Lilith would hang back and give their respects from a distance, not wishing to tread upon another beings sacred grounds.

"It is quite alright, Thanatos-Dono! I welcome you to Kyoto." Yasaka seemed to wave his concern away with grace before tilting her head a bit as she looked down at Lilith.

"This is your daughter? She is beautiful!" Yasaka cooed as she leaned down a bit to get a better look at the blank faced Dragon God. "She has your eyes... Hello, my name is Yasaka, might I ask your name?"

"I... am Lilith." The petite Dragon God introduced herself after looking at Minato to make sure that it was okay to speak. Her father had once stated that she shouldn't talk with strangers. If that was what he wanted, then she would not.

"That is a beautiful name." Yasaka smiled lightly before rising back up and motioning for her own daughter to step forward. "This is Kunou, my daughter. She has been very excited to meet you."

"Ah..." Lilith murmured before turning her silver eyes to stare at the petite Kitsune Youkai that stood behind her mothers leg, shyly peeking from behind her mothers hakama. "Hello..."

"H-Hello!" Kunou greeted, stuttering for a bit before she stepped from behind her mothers leg, "It is nice to meet you, Lilith!"

Lilith didn't respond, instead nodding her head as if in agreement before the two were talking amongst one another, leaving Minato and Yasaka to speak with one another in a rather casual manner for it being the first time the two had met. Well, Kunou seemed to be doing all of the talking while Lilith listened intently, just as she always did when someone spoke to her.

"I was not expecting a Dragon God to be as docile as she is." Yasaka noted lightly, watching Minato from the corner of her eyes to gauge his reaction to her words, "She acts as young as she looks."

"She is a child before she is a Dragon God." Minato noted, watching the interaction between each of their daughters with a minute smile on his face, "Lilith is still developing as a person, though I have no doubt she will make me proud no matter who she decides to be."

"Like a father should be." Yasaka mumbled to herself almost inaudibly, letting Minato know that it was not a comment directed at himself.

The four eventually made their ways towards the massive palace at the end of the long road through the heart of Inner Kyoto, Yasaka and Kunou pointing out various things as they passed by.

Small shrines lined the side of the road, each dedicated to someone that had recently departed. Many different types of offerings were placed at the feet of the shrines along with burning incense cones, leaving the roadway to smell strongly of many different aromas.

Minato found that by the time they reached the palace, he counted more than one hundred recently deceased. Someone had attacked the Youkai, and recently.

 **[EX]**

"I apologize if my request for a meeting came at such a short notice, Thanatos-Dono." Yasaka apologized as tea was prepared for the four to drink by one of the many Kitsune Youkai that served her.

Yasaka was almost nervous being in the presence of the two powerful beings before her. If not for the many videos dedicated to the being and his kindness on the Devil-Net, she would have never sought him out.

As it was, however, Yasaka had become a huge fan of his television show, having streamed the only episode the night that it was aired. Kunou was also a massive fan of his, but for a much different reason.

Kunou enjoyed the Super Maou D Gang for the action and story while Yasaka enjoyed the show for its 'plot' and main character. She was a simple woman, and when Yasaka saw the cover image of the show, she clicked it immediately. Thankfully, despite the rather tight outfits, the show was child friendly and even seemed to be mostly directed at a younger audience, if the censored language and the lack of blood was to go by.

When Yasaka first heard of Thanatos returning from being sealed away by the Biblical God, she thought nothing of it. He was a Greek and thus not her problem, as far as she knew. When it was revealed that he had taken up residence in Kuoh, a city not very far from Kyoto, Yasaka had immediately sent her Kitsune agents to watch them from a distance. They were skilled in stealth and natural born tricksters, thus avoiding detection each time they made a foray into the Devil territory.

Their ability to remain undetected might have stemmed from the fact that they did not wish to harm anyone in the least during their incursions, only to observe from a nice, safe distance. Having been trained in the art of stealth, each of the operatives had the ability to suppress their supernatural abilities and presence until they were no different than a human, both in appearance and presence.

When Thanatos, whom called himself Arisato Minato now, began to have rapport with the young Nekoshou in the Peerage of the little sister of the current Lucifer, Yasaka took notice.

The two were almost always seen together for the first few months that the young Youkai turned Devil had approached him, sharing sweets and lunch with one another on many occasions both around town and at school.

Eventually, he had spent so much time in the presence of young Koneko that the scent of Youkai was lingering around him in a permanent manner, as if her presence had rubbed off on him and his her.

When that presence of the Youkai inside of him continued to grow stronger and stronger, Yasaka and her spies gleaned something that shocked them even further. Not only was he in contact with one of the remaining Nekoshou, he was in contact with both of them.

The Hellcats, as their species was nicknamed in the past, were both in the presence of the first God of Death on a constant basis. Each bore his energy within them in different volumes, the younger sister holding the strongest signature while the elder sister seemed to fluctuate from a solid flame to something stronger on a daily basis, as if she were mixing the energy she drew in from Thanatos through Senjutsu into her own core.

Things got even stranger when not just one of the sisters but both marked him as their territory. Upon each side of his neck, obscured by his shirt and jacket, lay two paw-print shaped markers of chakra, one darker in nature than the other. The lighter signature tasted almost holy in a way, leaving golden flames in the wake of its presence beneath his skin while the other signature could have been considered the polar opposite.

There was nothing chakra or Senjutsu related that could be hidden from Yasaka to the point that she could even feel that the energy the two sisters wielded and marked him with had become almost intermingled with his own.

With the events that had taken place in Kyoto only a week prior, she felt that it was most prudent that she formed an alliance with at least one other faction. The fact that Thanatos had fought against the Hero faction as well let her know that his faction would be the best to seek out. The enemy of my enemy is my friend was a saying to live by, as far as Yasaka was concerned.

"It was no issue, Yasaka-Dono." Minato assured her while accepting a steaming cup of tea from the Kitsune who offered it to him, murmuring a quick thanks to the girl.

Lilith seemed to not enjoy the bitter taste of the green tea as she quickly set it down on the table before her and proceeded to ignore it. Kunou let a small giggle escape her lips upon seeing the displeased look the Dragon God bore, causing Lilith to regard her curiously with a tilt of the head.

'Why... does she laugh?' Lilith questioned, examining the young girl with keen interest once more.

"Do you mind if I get straight to the point?" Yasaka eventually questioned after exchanging a bit of small talk once more, "I hope I don't offend."

"I do not mind." Minato assured her while setting down the cup of tea on the saucer placed before his seating position, "I find myself curious about a few things."

"My home was attacked ten days ago, the assault led by someone I think both of us have a problem with." Yasaka admitted before reaching into the inner folds of her robes to pull out a picture.

It was of Cao Cao and his brigade of villains posing as heroes.

"Cao Cao..." Lilith murmured, knowing the face of the man well. Her father had shown her the images of each and every one of his enemies as a way of warning her, telling her the strengths and weaknesses of each member as he went.

Her father made sure that she would not be caught flat footed by those that sought to harm him.

"That is his name?" Yasaka eventually questioned, unaware of his exact identity, "I assume he is the descendent of the original?"

"From what I can tell, yes. I faced him down just yesterday." Minato admitted, causing Yasaka to nod her head before reaching into the inner folds of her robe once more to retrieve another photo.

This one was of Minato, Rossweisse and Kuroka, each looking victorious and covered in blood. Minato wielded the Anti Longinus in his free hand while the other was clasped tightly around the waist of the Nekoshou. Behind him floated the silver haired Valkyrie, her expression serene despite being covered in enough ichor to star in a horror film.

'How did this even get taken?' Minato thought with a frown as he stared at the photograph before his answer made itself known just as quickly. 'How do Valkyries even have access to the Devil-Net? How do Youkai, for that matter?'

"You are well informed, it seems." Minato admitted before handing the photograph back to the bodacious woman after a few moments of studying. "I take it you wish to form some sort of agreement, then?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I am hoping for two things, actually," Yasaka trailed off for a moment before leaning over her desk in thought, just enough to reveal the slightest bit of cleavage for Minato to see. He did his best to not look, but it was like the more he struggled, the more tempting it became.

Yasaka pretended to not notice and continued to write out a document before picking it up and passing it to him gently.

Minato took the offered document and looked it over before looking back at Yasaka with an almost deadpan expression.

"I assure you, I am serious." Yasaka seemed to understand what he was asking her with just a look, causing her to smile and nod her head in the affirmative.

The first part of the agreement to join the Alliance would be open immigration between the supernatural residents of Kuoh and Kyoto, specifically in the form of allowing the Kitsune and Karasu-Tengu to set up a few shops in the downtown area of Kuoh and take up residence in any available housing in the area.

Minato highly doubted any of the Youkai she would allow to travel to his city would pose a problem, especially due to the fact that she knew he would rain down hell upon her should she betray his trust.

In return, they would provide a constant flat tax of five percent of their sales directly to his coffers at the end of each week, providing another secure income for Minato and his growing Family. Many of the different items related from religious shrine offerings to shops dedicated to candy, rice and traditional clothing.

A new tea shop opening up near his home would be welcome, especially if he could convince them to open a coffee shop as well in further negotiations between the two.

"I do not mind opening up immigration channels between our two cities, nor the opening of Youkai based businesses in the downtown district. As a matter of fact, that would be a very welcome addition to the city of Kuoh. The only issue is... well, I do not know if there is even going to be a second episode of the Super Maou D Gang."

Upon hearing the words no second episode, Kunou snapped her head to him and looked like she was going to cry. Tears, thick and heavy, welled up in the eyes of the young Kyuubi and began to trace down her cheeks. Her face became flushed crimson and soon she began to sniffle.

Looking back at Yasaka quickly, Minato noticed that she, too, had an incredibly disappointed look on her face, almost as devastated as her daughters.

"I will see what I can do, Yasaka-Dono." Minato eventually amended after looking back down at the document in his hand.

Yasaka and Kunou wished to play as characters in his show in an episode as part of the induction of the Youkai into the Alliance being forged by himself and the Christian factions.

As if to emphasize how big of fans of his they were, the two began to use transformation magic to change their clothes, much like Akeno did when transitioning into her 'Miko-Mode' as she called it.

The two didn't seem to mind the fact that he was able to see their nude forms in their entirety during the process, something he did his best to avoid by turning his head quickly. He was not quick enough, though.

After the process was completed, both were dressed in a tight spandex uniform with a feminine skull helmet placed upon their heads, styled much in the same way his own outfit was. Around each of their necks was a long, long scarf, something Minato had adorned himself with upon the closing of the pilot episode upon the 'Death' of his first enemy.

Yasaka was obviously a sight to behold in such a uniform, though Kunou certainly made it much cuter than it should have been. Minato had to do his best to not look at Yasaka too much lest he offend the woman, nor look at Kunou for too long and have his intentions misinterpreted.

Each bore a different style to their helmets, however, indicating that they were not supposed to just be copies and something different all together.

"And who do you wish for your characters to be?" Minato questioned after a few uncomfortable moments of silence. Lilith was still as dead to the world as always when it came to emotional displays, still staring at the two in a fashion that could have disturbed them if she didn't look as cute as she did.

"I am Lady Death, leader of the Super Maou T Gang!" Yasaka chirped happily while slapping her hands together in front of her. The spandex suit she was wearing displayed every single curve, and every movement caused her chest to move just the slightest bit.

"And I am Little Death, queen of the Tiny Maou L Gang!" Kunou was proud of herself, striking a pose that was meant to be intimidating yet only increased the cuteness of the girl fifty fold.

"T Gang and L Gang, hmm? You know what, I like the sound of this." Minato agreed quickly, already thinking of the ways he could force Gasper into agreeing with the idea. The young Dhamphir had proven to have very deep pockets from his many virtual contracts to the point that he did not depend on Rias for his many needs at this point in time.

The boost in self confidence since his awakening as a REAL MAN, as he called it, the Dhamphir had expanded his base of operations into owning an entire filming studio set up in the city of Lilith, capital of the Devil territory.

Pulling out his phone, Minato sent a text to Gasper, Azazel, Sirzechs, Kiba and Vali to be ready for another grueling episode when summer break began. The only one who didn't seem interested was Sirzechs until he told him the reason why.

Sirzechs still seemed extremely reluctant, even going so far as to asking if he could just have someone else fill the role due to having already promised Serafall an appearance on her show as well.

Thinking long and hard on the question, Minato eventually opened up communication with Lucifer the same way Odin communicated with him the previous night.

"Would you be interested in wearing a tight red spandex uniform and a stylized helmet to hide your identity while beating up random hooligans to entertain the supernatural world?" Minato tentatively questioned after forgoing his usual tact, finding that there was no easy way to ask someone the questions that needed to be asked in the end.

"Oh, would I ever.~" Lucifer purred while the sound of a whip could be heard cracking against the flesh of another. "That sounds positively delightful."

Minato quickly closed the communication circle after telling Lucifer to keep up the good work in whatever it was he was doing.

Yasaka and Kunou had been doing random combat poses throughout the entire conversation as if they would get him to do them as well. After watching the two for a moment, he eventually relented and used his 'Dress Create' spell to replace his own clothes with the suit of the 'Big Death the Skull Ranger, leader of the D Gang'.

Lilith eventually asked for her own costume with a purple theme and a dragon helmet with horns and then joined Kunou as the silent member of the L Gang. The three did their best to brainstorm a new episode and Minato went as far as creating a conference call between the members of the D Gang to get them involved as well. Except for Lucifer, because he was busy, and Sirzechs because he was salty.

Minato found that once the helmet was on his head, he could go back to being the silent but strong 'Gang leader' with a snap of his fingers, even teaming up with Yasaka to 'take down' the L Gang and their vicious leader Little Death and Tiny Dragon, the Black and Purple Rangers of their respective force.

Minato and Lilith did not make it home until the sun had already set, enjoying spending time together in the company of the Youkai. After promising to call them later and exchanging numbers with the two Kyuubi, the two had returned directly to Minato's room, each still clad in their spandex uniform and helmets.

Kuroka was laid lazily upon his bed with Koneko not far, each idly speaking with one another until Minato and Lilith stepped from the shadowy portal that appeared not far from his doorway.

When the two saw Minato in his uniform, Koneko had to turn and hide her face to keep her intense nosebleed from being noticed by Minato while Kuroka just purred loudly.

"I like where this is going, Nyaa~!"


	39. Life Will Change

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **3**_ _ **9,**_ _ **Life Will Change**_

Thank you, Frank! I am glad you have stuck with me for this story so far! I am missing a few of the older readers lately it seems, hopefully I didn't lose them as well!

Jason Wu, you haven't been forgotten, I promise! He has the capability of using any spell that could be cast by his Persona except for dual casts, those require both Persona to be on the field.

If I did lose people, or people start dropping this story, I only wish you the best and thank you for taking the time to read what I have to write. I apologize if this story is not to your liking and I sincerely hope you find the one that is.

Isako Toriumi was my absolute favorite Social Link. Without a doubt, the Hermit Arcana made me cry. Super hard. I think that the connection between 'Maya' and 'Tatsuya' was the most precious thing ever. After finally meeting her face to face, Minato proceeds to calmly stand with his hands in his pockets, watching dispassionately as the homeroom teacher of class F-2 has a mental breakdown like a BOSS.

[In Canon, its his homeroom teacher. As far as Exalted is concerned, Minato was a senior, thus not a part of class F-2.]

 **'Hello, Maya-San.'** was devastating, without a doubt.

The synopsis of Super Maou D Gang will happen in a few chapters. I have one dedicated solely to the Super Maou D, T and L Gangs and the competition between Serafall and Minato over their respective television shows.

10th Wand, I like you, you get _life,_ my Machiavellian friend. I highly doubt I will bypass TCL in terms of follows, reviews or favorites, honestly. I am no where near the same caliber of author as that glorious mofo. Wish I was tho.

I _can_ write lemons. I do not doubt my skill to do so. I just do not... I don't want to write them, honestly. I feel awkward as hell reading them for some reason, so writing them is also just as...

C'mon man, I don't wanna. Please don't ask me to. I kinda wanted to, but really, I think a lot of people get offended by smut and I don't want to scare off any of my readers.

Minato is going to remain Minato, while Big D is going to remain Big D. Another guest got it right in the guessing on just who got left behind to act as the Great Seal, just not the entire scope. Big D is stuck in the Sea of Souls, acting as the Great Seal between Nyx and Erebus.

Cough Cough, I kinda just told you who the twinkling voice was as well.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Koneko had expressed interest in joining the Senjutsu training sessions, even going as far as to shedding her clothing like Kuroka and straddling his lap while Kuroka hugged him from behind.

Lilith had left with Nyx just a few minutes prior before locking the door behind her, winking at him as she went. The young Dragon God did not need to see her father sandwiched between two nude women, despite the nonsexual nature in which the embrace was positioned.

Minato wasn't sure if he liked the look Nyx gave him as she went, not in the least.

After a few minutes of calming the youngest Nekoshou down and assuring her that he was going to do his best to walk her through the process, Minato began to draw in large amounts of the natural energy permeating the land around Kuoh into his body, mixing it with the godly reserves of his own chaotic energy. The many negative emotions that welled up from within the bosom of the earth did their best to influence him, yet it proved to be a fruitless endeavor against one such as himself.

The hatred, sorrow, wrath, lust, gluttony and greed he felt blossoming in his body and mind were washed away just as easily. His mind was his own, his body was his own. Minato would not allow outside forces to influence him, not any more. The hatred he felt now was nothing against the hatred of Nyx. The wrath and sorrow were nothing compared to the entirety of the negative emotions of mankind assaulting him at once.

The gathering and dispelling of purified life force tinted with his own signature had proven to be the easiest way, safest for Koneko to reach out and touch the same life force that was present in nature. Since Minato was dispelling the negative emotions, Koneko and Kuroka would absorb a much less intensely negative energy into their own bodies, further purifying it before expelling it out gently.

How Kuroka managed to convince Koneko to embrace her inner nature was beyond Minato, though he could hardly complain. The fact that Koneko now bore white ears upon her head and a fluffy white tail was too much for Minato to take, going so far as to asking to pet them after a few moments of silent staring.

Koneko was almost worried Minato didn't like them until he finally spoke up, only for her to launch herself at him and plop herself into his lap, grabbing his hand before placing it onto her head forcefully. "Meow."

If being sandwiched between the naked flesh of two beautiful cat girls was all he had to deal with when learning to wield Senjutsu, then it was a price he was very willing to pay. He had a feeling others did not have such an easy or pleasing way to learn the illustrious art.

Minato hadn't been as warm as he was in that moment since he used his soul as the main component of the Great Seal.

The 'Dress Create' skill was once more useful in the fashion that he could change his apparel with just a thought, having become so skilled in transmuting his energy into clothing that it became almost second nature. As such, he was clad in one of the most comfortable pair of night pants he could think of instead of the stifling spandex, much to the disappointment of Kuroka.

Koneko was just as disappointed, though she was not as vocal as her sister about the matter.

Minato had felt his connection with nature growing by leaps and bounds each time he practiced the technique of drawing, mixing and releasing the energy, though he knew it would be years at the least before he could even be close to calling himself a master of the art. As it was, he would likely still call himself a neophyte, at best, if there was a ranking for his position in the world of Senjutsu users.

The three had finished drinking in and dispelling outwards the energy of nature after one hour of practice, finding that any longer was beyond their limits. Koneko had grasped the concept much faster under the tutelage of both her sister and Minato, each being skilled enough to at least help filter the energy for the young Nekoshou turned Devil as she familiarized herself with the energy she rejected so long ago.

After the three had finished dispelling the last of the latent energy of nature, Koneko had asked permission to stay the night. When Minato reminded her that she didn't need to ask and that his home was always open to her, she pulled him backwards onto the bed after making sure Kuroka was out of the way by shoving her almost violently.

"What are you doing, Nyaa~?" Kuroka questioned, tilting her head to the side at the aggressive actions of her petite sister, only to widen her eyes upon seeing Koneko straddling Minato while locking her lips with his.

All three were crimson faced by the time Koneko allowed Minato to breath, for different reasons. Minato, because Koneko had never been as forward as she was being, nor as 'touchy' as he felt her hands move a bit further south than even her sister had. Kuroka was flushed more so than Minato, only due to the fact that she got to witness something she was sure would be on her mind for years to come in her moments alone.

"Ah... I..." Koneko murmured out after a few moments, tilting her head in thought before straightening it back and nodding as if she had finally come to a decision. "Screw it. I want to be your first official harem member."

"What?" Minato questioned, his normally disinterested gaze widening, "I, uh, well, that is to say-"

"Was that a yes, or a no?" Koneko cut through his confused babble like a knife, rising up so her nude form could sit on his stomach with her arms crossed across her chest, her face completely blank save for her furrowed brows, "I couldn't tell."

Minato turned his silver gaze to Kuroka for a split second before he returned them to the golden pools of the Nekoshou sitting on his body.

This was a pivotal moment, and Minato found himself only hesitating for a moment. He could say no and ruin his relationship with the two Nekoshou in one fell swoop, or he could say yes and allow both to blossom further.

The connection he held with the both of them were quivering, and Minato could tell that his next few answers would either strengthen those bonds into something that couldn't be broken, or sever them completely.

His bond with Koneko had been the first and most steady upon his arrival in what should have been his home world, one that had been a constant reminder of his ability to forge connections with those around him on a subconscious level.

The two had gone on many outings together ranging from seeing movies to feeding each other different sweets lazily to sample what the other was eating, slept in the arms of one another more times than he could count at this point. Koneko had confided some of her darkest secrets with him, and Minato, in turn, had revealed parts of himself that he tried to keep in the dark.

She, however, did not know of his past, of SEES. No one besides himself knew what happened during the last eighteen years of his life, something Minato knew he would have to amend soon. If he was to accept her proposition, it wouldn't be right to keep such secrets from them.

Koneko knew his heart was basically scar tissue at this point in his life, having been shredded and healed too many times to count. Despite this, however, Koneko had done her best to help rebuild him, silently and piece by piece.

Minato knew his world would be much colder without the warmth Koneko brought him. She was his stoic, sarcastic, exceedingly warm and ridiculously strong kitten, irreplaceable and irresistible. Koneko had, over the many months of the two spending time with one another, become one of his most cherished bonds.

"Yes." Minato didn't need to say more, his lips once more occupied by those of Koneko. It was just as he imagined, as sweet as the chocolates she ate with hints of cherry dancing on the tip of his tongue.

Koneko felt her world explode into technicolor upon hearing the answer she most desired to hear. The dread she felt disappeared as if it had never plagued her mind and soul, and with it went Kuroka's as well.

The plan between the two sisters had gone off without a hitch. It took the determination of the youngest Nekoshou to show Nyx and Kuroka that they were over thinking their grand strategy. They had planned on waiting for Minato to seek them out on his own, thinking that just awakening his libido would be the key factor in securing the 'Harem Option'.

Koneko told them his greatest weakness, something they continued to overlook despite being aware of the fact well.

Minato had an extremely hard time saying no to a cute face, within reason. Koneko doubted it would have worked if it had been Kuroka or Xenovia to approach him alone, if only because they didn't know just which buttons to press to get what they wanted.

Bennia and Asia would have been successful had they both approached him at the same time, but both seemed to be a bit more shy than the two Nekoshou, thus leaving the tag team attack to the sisters. Kuroka had one way of getting under Minato's skin, and Koneko had her own.

To the victors go the spoils, so they say. Koneko got Minato to feed her chocolate covered cherries, naked as the day she was born without a care in the world while Kuroka was demanding vanilla dipped strawberries.

Minato had to pry not just one set of hands off his waistband that night, but two. Koneko was a lot more frisky when she let her true nature out, something Minato wasn't too sure of at first. He thought she might have been forcing it, but no... it seems that Nekoshou are naturally that clingy if they were close enough to a person.

 **[EX]**

"You know you are a teacher now, right?" Minato questioned as he sat down in Azazel's office on the third floor of the Academy, "Are you even allowed to have alcohol here?"

"Does this look like a face that cares?" Azazel pointed to his deadpan face after taking another shot of his clear alcohol, "Don't answer that question. No, this would be the best time for the two of us to have a talk, if that's alright? Do you REALLY need to be learning math right now?"

"Well, I doubt Ms. Tokugawa will really mind." Minato eventually relented, knowing that his maths teacher was fond of him much more so than any of her other students, "I just have to remember to bring her a snack. You're paying."

"Fine, fine. Now, the Youkai and the Norse have proven interested in joining, and you have mentioned even potentially the Carmilla faction as well," Azazel began, for once being serious about the situation, "But we have been getting reports of large troop movement from the Land of the Dead, the Egyptians Duat and the Old Satan territory, not to mention the strange anomalies occurring within the Dimensional Gap..."

"I see." Minato murmured, taking the offered folder being held aloft by Azazel. Flipping it open, Minato came face to face with many different aerial snapshots of three separate armies being raised.

Among the army in the Land of the Dead, Minato could make out the shape of two absolutely monstrous serpent like dragons coiling over the dead landscape of broken trees and tombstones, one golden and black while the other was glowing as if on fire.

The presence of so many Grim Reapers that Minato could not count them all filled him with dread, as did the presence of many hulking figures that looked as if many Grim Reapers had been forcefully fused into one. Each looked as if many skeletons had become fused with one larger, central skeleton, many different horns spiraling outwards from their skulls. Black robed figures rode atop the skeletal remains of dead dragons, drifting through the air on boned wings through magic spells, patrolling the lands as if expecting an invasion of their home turf.

Among the armies in Duat, Minato could see what seemed like mummies dressed in ceremonial robes, wielding staffs that controlled the puppet legions before them of hollowed husks. What appeared to be multiple jackal headed men and women bound in chains were being forced into formation as well, letting Minato know that perhaps someone elses army had been conscripted into the forces of another.

Osiris and Anubis obviously didn't get along if Minato was correct in his assumptions. There was another dragon present in Duat, this one golden and black, so massive in scope that Minato knew it was easily one of the top largest in the world from its shadow alone.

The Old Satan faction was the least informative from their photographs, but Minato was not as worried about them as he was the other two groups. With Rizevim and Katerea dead, it only left one descendent out of the four previous Maou alive to hold the reigns.

Shalba Beelzebub would not be a threat, not alone. The strange, mechanized looking beings that roamed the streets were unfamiliar to Minato, almost. If anything, it looked like the Old Maou faction had gotten their hands on giant robots before the human otakus did. What a shame.

"May I have a copy?" Minato would need to peruse the photographs and information further in a less casual setting, knowing that Azazel had more to say.

"I'll have them sent to you this afternoon. There have been riots going on lately, you know." Azazel murmured, swirling the large glass of clear liquor before downing the rest in one gulp, "Riots that are shutting down entire cities at a time."

"How many? The perpetrators?" Minato straightened up as he asked, leaning forward slightly as he rested his elbows on his knees, "Riots... over what?"

"So far there have been four in the past two weeks. It seems the Old Maou faction has some supporters that haven't quite been banished yet, more than Sirzechs and Serafall were aware of, anyway. They think allying with Gods and Youkai is below their station. I just don't understand, honestly."

"There is a bit more to them than I give them credit." Minato admitted with a frown, his eyes not focusing on anything in particular as he stared from the window to his right, "How bad have they gotten?"

"Easily containable after letting them tire themselves out. It seems most are just Low-Class Devils and Mid-Class at best. Most of the Nobles seem content to sit on their laurels." Azazel tried to put Minato at ease a bit, knowing that he was already dealing with enough stress as it was.

"That is good to hear. I take it Sirzechs has been rather busy lately, then?" Minato finally understood why the man seemed so distracted when Minato gave him a call before going to school, "I mean, he does actually do his job sometimes, right?"

"Believe it or not, he takes it very seriously." Azazel nodded in affirmation, knowing that despite how easy going Sirzechs appeared to be, he was easily one of the hardest working individuals when it came to furthering the peace agenda between the many different factions joining the Alliance now.

The Devils had flourished and prospered under the careful watch of Sirzechs and the other new Maou, no matter how much the Bael clan claimed to 'really run the Devils' from behind the scenes as the 'Great King'.

Minato nodded his head and didn't speak again for a few moments before turning back to Azazel. "Can we be certain that Osiris is allying himself with Hades?"

"Well, we can always just... go ask, ya know?" Azazel laughed at the look Minato gave him for his remark, knowing that it boded nothing good for him, "Don't tell me you plan on asking."

"No, that would be something I expect from either Sirzechs or you, honestly. Perhaps Serafall and Odin as well. The only sensible members of this Alliance so far are Yasaka, Michael and myself, it seems." Minato was brutally honest in his assessment, causing Azazel to droop his shoulders and pretend to cry for a few moments.

"Big D, quit being so mean to me~!" Azazel threw his head back and then to the right to dodge the paper balls being thrown at him by Minato. "See, this is abuse!"

"Can it, this is discipline. Act like an adult!" Minato groused, throwing another couple of paper balls at the mans face, one even discharging a small bolt of electricity that struck Azazel on the nose when he tried to bat it away with his hand.

"Abuse, I say!" Azazel cried out before picking up the paper balls and lobbing them one at one after reinforcing his arms, "I shall not stand here and be assaulted by you, Minato!"

"Suck it up and deal with it like a man!" Minato fired back after using his school bag to block a few of the paper balls.

Minato didn't make it back to math class, too busy staring a war between faculty members with a free period with Azazel and himself acting as the generals after the two continued the battle down the hallway and into the break room not far from Azazel's office.

Minato won the war through supreme force of will, tanking the many paper weapons being thrown back and forth ranging from planes, balls, triangles and throwing stars to cover the many teachers that came to his aid.

Ms. Hoshiyuri, the teacher of the Origami Club, turned out to be a most valuable asset in the Great Faculty War of Kuoh, as she would in the coming conflicts around the corner. Minato could tell that Azazel would not take his loss with the grace expected of him, already seeing the plots of revenge shinning in the Governor General's eyes.

Minato gained new contacts that day in the form of the many teachers, each aware of his status as an assistant teacher for the Occult Research Club. Considering the position he held, they treated him as if he were a coworker and not a student, something Minato greatly appreciated.

After spending an extra hour to help clean up the large mess the old fashioned way, Minato had spent another hour going over extracurricular work with Rias and Azazel dealing with the ORC.

The day finally came to an end, allowing Minato to return home to start with the rest of the paperwork he needed to complete for the running of Kuoh, knowing that Rossweisse had likely gotten started without him.

Sona had mentioned that the Civics teacher would be going into an early retirement and wouldn't be returning for the second semester after summer holidays. Sona had asked if she could interview Rossweisse for the position after hearing of her work ethics through the bragging of Minato during one of their chess games, something Minato had plans of asking Rossweisse to look into. The silver haired Valkyrie would make a wonderful teacher, in his opinion.

It made his heart ache a bit, though, thinking about it on the way home with Asia, Bennia, Xenovia and Koneko in tow. Flipping his phone open for a moment, Minato stared at the screen shot that had remained as his background for a few moments before he shut it closed. Being around the faculty for as long as he was today reminded him of another meeting Minato held in a room not dissimilar to the war zone he helped clean up.

'i -read downward!

luv

u'

'Yeah... me too, Maya.' Minato thought to himself morosely, trying his best to not let the hardly healed wound open back up.

"Cheer up." Koneko murmured, poking him in the ribs before she captured his free hand with her own, "Stop with the sad looks."

"Ah, sorry, sorry." Minato smiled upon feeling her fingers surround his, pulling him from his reverie, "No practice today?"

"Taking a break, spending time with my boyfriend." Koneko stated simply, causing Bennia, Asia and Xenovia to let out a gasp each.

"She got you to agree, Death-Sama?"

"Wait, you actually agreed?!"

"Master, YES!"

"Yes, girls... She got me to agree. I assume you were all in on this as well?" Minato questioned in a lightly strained voice, making sure there were no other students around to overhear the conversation about to take place in the middle of a sidewalk in downtown Kuoh.

"We... yes?" Bennia eventually answered for the three after they looked at one another in shock and happiness. "Yes we were."

"I see... let's get home, I have something I wish to tell you." Minato admitted after a few moments, knowing that the conversation he was about to have was going to take awhile.

Paperwork was going to have to wait, he hoped Rossweisse understood.

 **[EX]**

They gathered in the gallery one by one until Minato sat before eight individuals.

Asia, Bennia and Xenovia sat on a loveseat to his left while Koneko and Kuroka took the center couch. Sona and Nyx sat in plush chairs while Ophis and Lilith sat directly to his left and right.

"What is this about?" Sona questioned curiously, having received a text to attend this gathering if she was able to. Minato had rarely requested something from her out of the blue, going as far as making sure to work around her schedule when it came to spending time with her.

"I... wish to tell you of myself, of who I am." Minato eventually admitted, "Have you ever heard of Tatsumi Port Island?"

The questioned was directed at Sona, who shook her head in the negative. The name was not familiar to her, despite its Japanese name. The Sitri heir had prided herself in memorizing the map of Japan, able to point out each and every city, town and precinct thanks to her intense studying.

"It was an artificial island built by the Kirijo Group quite some time ago, having a city built on its back. Iwatodai... well, needless to say, you won't find it on a map." Minato admitted, crossing his left leg over his right as he leaned back in his seat. Lilith went back with him and cuddled into his side, listening intently as her father spoke.

'A city of Japan that can't be found on a map... His phone was made by the Kirijo Group, I recognize that name.' Sona thought to herself before she felt her eyes widen a bit, 'An...'

"You... lived in a different Japan." Sona stated, not bothering to phrase it as a question. The things he said in idle conversations were starting to make sense. Sona had never heard of a Paulownia Mall, going as far as looking up the locations Minato had mentioned in passing.

He seemed to have been teasing her due to her probing questions about his past, and this conversation was to clear the air of all of her misconceptions.

"I did. My name is Arisato Minato, orphaned in the city of Iwatodai eleven years ago. I was, as far as I knew, a human, living an apathetic and withdrawn life. My story should begin at the beginning, I suppose, so let me take you back around eleven years ago..." Minato trailed off for a moment, taking a sip of the cup of coffee in his hand before taking a deep breath.

"My parents, whether I was born to them or adopted I do not know, died when I was eight during a conflict between the Death of the 'Other World' and an Anti-Shadow weapon known as Aigis," Minato stared ahead, not looking at anyone in particular as he picked at the old memories in the back of his head, those he had buried long ago, "They were casualties of a fight they had no part in. Death proved to be a powerful opponent, so much so that Aigis could not overcome him during their conflict... She sealed him away."

"Death... there was another Thanatos?" Nyx questioned shakily, her breath coming out in almost short pants as she felt her stomach clench beyond painfully.

"...Yes, there was." Minato eventually answered, turning his eyes to the woman that demanded he call her 'Momma', "I will explain it further in a bit, just... have patience, please."

When she nodded her head morosely, Minato continued his story, once more taking a deep breath. He could feel the eyes of those gathered on him, watching his every movement like a hawk, listening to his every word as if it were the gospel.

It would have been rapturous, if he wasn't so nervous.

"I suppressed the memories of the incident, believing that it was a bad dream and that my parents had passed in a car accident. I went through my life alone from that point, drifting from home to home. I wasn't a troubled child, but I was... I was too quiet, I scared those who tried to adopt me." Minato felt himself choke up a bit, pausing to regain his composure. His past was something he didn't think about, did his best to ignore.

He was alone for eleven years of his life, just going through the motions, doing his best to survive in a world that didn't understand the way he thought.

Minato could feel the anguish rolling from those present, and it hurt him even more.

"It is the past. I am no longer alone, as you can tell," Minato cut through the momentary silence with a wry smile on his face, "I had left the city of Iwatodai for quite some time, ten years over all before I returned. Something had called me home, so to speak, something that manipulated me on a subconscious level. It was when I stepped from the train that things... got a little strange."

"Strange how?" Bennia questioned, sitting on the edge of her seat as she listened to the story told by her Master. The petite Grim Reaper was enraptured by the tale, finally hearing what she had longed to hear since she came into his employ.

"Once the clock struck midnight, time would stop for approximately one hour, changing the world from its natural state into something far more eldritch in nature. The lighting of every room and the sky would turn an eerie green. Every human on earth was hidden away within a coffin they created subconsciously to protect themselves from the enemies that came forth during the hidden time. I had been aware of the 'Dark Hour' as I learned it was called, though I had thought I was the only one..."

"The Dark Hour...?" Asia trailed off, not really asking a question but tasting the words, to see how the felt rolling on the tip of her tongue. It sounded terrifying, if she were honest. Time stopping for an entire hour? Gasper couldn't stop the world for an hour if he used his soul as a power source, and it happened nightly?

"Yes... The Dark Hour was the result of an experiment of the Kirijo Group gone wrong, you see. They wished to study the Shadows... they were foolish, and tried to manipulate something that wasn't meant to be manipulated." Minato began to explain while summoning a small, hazy figure to float above his hand.

Manipulating and creating holographic images had been a rather interesting subject to study, even more so when his studies came to fruition.

A slithering, black mass with a mask upon its face appeared above his head, dripping visceral smoke and ichor as it moved.

"A Shadow, in its truest aspect, is the result of negative human emotions so condensed they are given a physical form. They exist in a different wavelength, a subsection of reality that is so close, yet removed from our own realm of existence. They shouldn't have existed, yet they had a medium, a creator so to speak." Minato turned his gaze to Nyx, this time. It was not a contemptuous look, but one of idle curiosity.

"The Kirijo Group wished to utilize the Shadows that existed within every being, the hidden self dwelling within, to further humanity to a level beyond it's current limits. The Group gathered many, many shadows in their experiments resulting in the ultimate amalgam being born, one that would usher in the Fall, a prophesied event that would end the world."

The troubled expression of Minato was what stopped any of those present from speaking. They could understand the depth, the severity of the words he spoke, the tremendous weight upon his shoulders making more sense as they listened.

Swirling the now cooled cup of coffee in his hand, Minato took another large gulp before setting the glass on the table before him. He turned his silver gaze to those present in the room, locking eyes with each of them individually as he went, making sure they were listening as he wasn't going to be telling this story again.

"It was not an experiment to better mankind, you see, but disguised as one. In reality, it was one driven to bring about the end of the world, all due to a prophecy of an event called The Fall... It was meant to be the end of the world, brought about by the lack of will to live by humanity, collectively. Nyx, a being of absolutely monstrous power, gave the world two things... Night, and Death. Death would be her usher, the one who heralded the Fall and brought about the end of man when she descended from the heavens once more to cleanse the earth and reclaim it as her own."

A loud gasp could be heard, followed by the sound of a hand slapping across flesh. Nyx, the mother of Minato, held her hand across her mouth, her eyes wide as small tears began to bead.

"Death was fractured due to the actions of one man, however, resulting in thirteen different fragments being born from that mans act of defiance. Twelve of the massive fragments went on a rampage, destroying the research facility built under the guise of a school. Their birth resulted in the creation of the Dark Hour and Tartarus, a massive tower that contained the many different Shadows in their natural states, broken into six massive sections. The last fragment, the one bearing the power and body of Death, escaped and was sealed within myself."

It was painful to speak of the subjects, it was like pouring salt on a raw wound to think of the past he could no longer see by passing through a city. He could no longer walk the french named streets of Iwatodai, enjoy the sights and pleasures of spending time with those that became his Family.

Talking of the strife, the struggle and the many near death experiences was almost too much for him, but he persevered. Those gathered here were precious to him, and if they wished to continue associating with him on a deeper level, then first he must reveal himself, his past and his pain.

Minato told them of Persona, of his struggles to climb the tower of Tartarus, of each Full Moon and the powerful Shadows the members of SEES had to face down. He spoke of the betrayal SEES experienced by Shuji Ikutsuki, of the enemy known as Strega and the three operatives that acted as a foil to SEES during the ascent of the tower.

Minato explained in almost excruciating detail as he mentioned summoning Gods and Goddesses through use of an Evoker, aspects of his mind given form, to help him conquer the mighty foes, as well as the teamwork of SEES. He was almost proud as he spoke of the climbing of Tartarus, melancholic however, was the best word to use to describe his emotions.

Nyx seemed devastated to hear of the Cult that had sprung up in her alternate selves name, of the Apathy Syndrome that befell the humans as a result. To hear that an alternate version of herself could have caused so much pain to her own son, it was almost too much for her to take. Thanatos, Minato, no matter what he called himself, he was her precious son, the only child who had stuck by her side.

The bond she had with her son, even if he couldn't remember it, ran deeply, strongly and without a doubt, fiercely. Nyx was protective of her son, and would do anything in the world to make him happy. Sure, she was pushy, and may have directly influenced those around him through goading to join his harem, but it was all for a good cause.

The happiness of her son could not be handled by one person alone, otherwise Nyx would have whisked him away long ago. Minato was not like Thanatos, despite being the same person, however. Minato could have been considered his flip side, the angel on his shoulder as opposed to the devil. An apathetic, but friendly angel that shouldn't joke about death as lightly as he did.

Nyx loved her child, she loved him with all of her heart. She wanted to reach out and console him, though it seemed he hardly needed it. Minato was strong, not needing a pillar of support to keep him steady in times like these. He was made of steel, surely, though it seemed as if the time he held this story in had withered that steel away, bit by bit.

Finally, Minato was drawing to the closing of his tale, speaking of Ryoji and the choice that wasn't a choice offered to him.

"We didn't kill him, couldn't kill him. Who would want to live in ignorance for their final month alive, after all?" Minato sarcastically laughed, shaking his head at the thought, "No, I refused even when he persisted, showing me the form of Thanatos as if it would intimidate me. However, he gave us the information we needed to fight Nyx. He taunted us, telling us it was useless, but we needed to try anyway, no matter what. I refused to go out with a whimper, as did the others. We were defiant until the very end."

"You... how did you do it? Obviously, you did it... right?" Bennia questioned nervously, having been sitting on the edge of her seat for the last hour as she listened to the harrowing, heart wrenching tale, "You won... right?"

"In a sense," Minato shrugged his shoulders as he thought about it, "We arrived at the very most top of Tartarus after fighting Jin and Takaya once more, coming face to face with Ryoji one final time. He transcended and rejoined with Nyx, becoming her Avatar and summoner, lamenting the fact that we struggled and fought against our ultimate end..."

Minato allowed the holographic image above his hand, which had displayed each event as they took place during his long winded explination of his past, to shift once more, becoming the Nyx Avatar in all of his glory.

The collective shudder that went through the group upon seeing the monstrous being let him know that they understood just what kind of power the Nyx Avatar wielded.

They all watched in suspense as SEES fought against the Nyx Avatar, and when they could no longer fight, watched as Minato continued in their stead. It was a long, arduous battle that spilled more blood from the body of Minato than they thought a human should contain, hinting that his healing spells restored blood as well.

Eventually, The fight came to a draw with the Blade of Lucifer embedded in the mask of the Nyx Avatar, the heavily breathing form of Minato standing victoriously above its downed body. Instead of dying, however, the Avatar seemed to taunt Minato and lament his decision even further before ascending into the heavens, causing the moon to begin to shake and act strangely.

A massive gravity wave had erupted from the heavens, pressing the members of SEES into the ground. From below, people could be seen transforming into monsters and dying horribly painful looking deaths, some seemingly cheering while others ran in fear. It truly looked like the end of the world, and those gathered felt their stomachs in their throats, along with their hearts.

Seeing such an event unfolding would likely test their resolve as well. They could tell that Minato, however, was not as easily fazed by trivial events like the end of the world or some other pesky event of that nature.

They were sure he would just shrug his shoulders if he heard the sun was about to go erupt into a supernova. Well, after making sure to hide them all away where the sun couldn't reach them, of course.

"I have met Gods and Goddesses alike here in this world now, but none have had the overwhelming power that this Nyx and her Avatar wielded. I theorize perhaps there is only one, perhaps even two beings that exist within this world that could have the same presence, the same apocalyptic strength that Nyx wielded." Minato murmured, allowing the moon to form into a much larger size in the holographic image before it began to split away, revealing the massive crimson eyeball like mechanism that drifted towards the surface of the planet at a rapid pace.

"She... I..." Nyx had done her best to articulate her thoughts as she listened to her son speak. The fact that there was another Nyx out there, one powerful enough to bring about the end of the world by dropping the moon onto the surface of earth was harrowing.

"I know you aren't her. It is hard, though..." Minato shrugged his shoulders at seeing his mother struggle to speak, "Do not worry, I do not hold her actions against her, or you."

"You don't?" Asia questioned curiously, tilting her head to the side a bit, "She tried to end the world, did she not, Death-Sama?"

"Well... not exactly. You see, the Fall only occurred due to the culmination of mankind and its desire to die becoming its own separate being. Once this being reaches Nyx and begins 'Consort', he would trigger the Fall. His name was Erebus..." Minato murmured after a few more moments of silence, staring down at the empty cup of coffee in the table as if his desire for more would refill the cup.

Lucifer and Euclid were in the middle of making dinner, so Minato would have to wait until the Devils were finished before he could request another refill.

"Nyx and her avatar proved too strong to be beaten. You cannot kill Death, after all," Minato stated with no small amount of amusement in his voice, "It was pretty hopeless, honestly. Here we were, a ragtag group of human beings with the power of Gods at our beck and call, fighting against a being that was destined to end the world. It was only in the absolute final moment that I was able to act... using the power forged through the bonds established between myself and those around me, those momentous threads of fate that tied my future with theirs, I was able to tap into the power of the Universe and act as the Great Seal of Nyx at the cost of my life."

"You... you sacrificed yourself to stop the end of the world?" Sona whispered just loud enough to be heard, her eyes wide as she looked down at her knees. Her hands clutched tightly at her skirt, pulling the fabric into her palms tightly as she thought about everything that had been revealed to her.

From what Sona could tell, she was not the only ones reeling at the revelation.

"I gave my soul to act as the barrier between Erebus and Nyx. Should the darkness, the absolute desire for the ultimate end from mankind not reach her, the Fall would never occur. Yes, I... I sacrificed everything about myself, my life force, my energy, my soul, my body... I gave my everything to prevent the Fall. I wasn't meant to be pulled out of the Great Seal, either. My sacrifice was meant to be permanent." Minato spoke in a hushed whisper, those gathered having to strain their ears to hear him speak, despite their greatly enhanced hearing.

"How are you here, then?" Xenovia questioned after a few moments of silence, causing Minato to give her a small but sad smile in return.

"I am unsure. Honestly, I have no idea how they did it. It was likely Elizabeth who pulled me from the seal, though I can only speculate at this point." Minato shrugged his shoulders at the question, knowing that he really didn't have an answer.

"Why are you _here_ , though?" Xenovia persisted, trying to convey her question a bit better, "How did you return here if you were banished by the God of the Bible?"

She seemed to not hesitate in disassociating herself with the Christian God, going so far as to formally addressing him in the manner other factions did.

"I was pulled from the Great Seal due to there existing a threat that could not only end _this_ world, but the world I sacrificed myself for as well." Minato answered easily enough, finally understanding just what she was asking, "I woke up in this world in nothing but my underwear with a false identity, my phone and a map. Elizabeth had registered me for Kuoh, despite the fact that I already graduated from High School. I cannot say I am ungrateful for her forethought."

"Why is that?" Koneko questioned, her golden eyes easily cutting across the room and locking with his own. Her body was held in such a way that he could tell she wanted to walk across the room and sit in his lap. She always got twitchy when she wanted to do something, yet couldn't.

"Well, I never would have met any of you. I would have drifted around, looking aimlessly instead of letting some of my answers come to me." Minato had to think for a few moments on how to phrase his statements in the correct manner without seeming like he didn't care about those around him. "I came to this world as a selfish man. My only desire was to keep my family safe at all costs."

"And now?" Kuroka questioned, speaking up for the first time, "What is your desire now?"

"It hasn't changed." Minato answered simply, looking at Kuroka as if she had asked one of the most obvious questions in the world.

"You only desire to keep _them_ safe?" She persisted with her question, sounding almost as if she were hurt by the answer Minato gave.

He waved his hand quickly to clear the air upon her misunderstanding.

"No, no. My ultimate desire has remained the same, yes, to keep my Family safe. You all have become members of that Family..." Minato trailed off, realizing that he sounded sort of dumb.

Calling them his family in his head, and saying it out loud were two completely different things. Hearing the words pass his lips made him sound so awkward it hurt.

"You... consider us family?" Kuroka questioned in a small voice, her shoulders drawn in as if she were hugging herself. Koneko seemed shocked at the admission while Bennia, Asia and Xenovia were beaming widely at the admission. Sona was blushing and doing her best to not make eye contact with Minato while Ophis was watching him with extreme scrutiny. Lilith already knew her father considered her family due to him stating as much.

"Of course. You have all earned a spot in my home, my heart... my life. I couldn't imagine living without any of you at this point." Minato was honest with his words. He couldn't go back to living alone, not after months and months of being surrounded by the most friendly and strange beings he had ever met in his life.

Sona looked around the room before looking at Minato, asking a question that had been on her mind since she arrived, "Why didn't you invite the others? I take it we are the only ones to know this about you?"

"This information is being given on a need to know basis, and I don't think they need to know. You all are the closest to me out of everyone else. I would appreciate it if we... didn't talk about the fact that I lived in another world." Minato seemed almost pained upon answering the question, hiding his wince as best as he could. He did not want to be rude, but at the same time, it was really no one elses business what happened in his past. Rias and most of her Peerage was not trying to become a Lover of his.

Minato was only telling those gathered of his past because of the absolute closeness he felt with each. Minato knew he could trust them with the information, knew that they would guard it with their lives and not let it slip. Issei liked to talk and Gasper ran his fan site, thus eliminating both from knowing. Sirzechs and Azazel knew that he was seeking to prevent the end of the world, just not how or why, exactly.

Telling the world he lived a life in another world didn't seem like a wise decision, honestly, and Minato still had a bit of trepidation about admitting it now. If those around him now were going to open up, however, so was he. He squashed the nagging feeling in the back of his mind and squared his shoulders, knowing that there was no going back from his choices now.

"Would... if you were given the chance, would you go back?" Bennia questioned after a few more moments of consideration, her face scrunched up almost painfully as she gave Minato one of the most pitiful looks he had ever seen in his life. The happiness permeating the room began to dwindle.

"I... no, I don't think I would." Minato reasoned after a few seconds of thought, his face set in a frown, "There would be no reason for me to return. They... it has been a decade since I sealed myself away. Junpei, Fuuka, Akihiko, Ken, Mitsuru, Yukari, Isako... they are all grown, have lives of their own most likely. Here I am, attending a High School in another world while they have moved on and made something of themselves years and years ago."

It was true, and it hurt when Minato thought about it. Aigis would likely love to see him again and he had no doubt that his friends would love to see him as well, but...

Would it really be the same? So long had passed since the events leading up to The Fall, would they even be the same people? The bonds he shared with them would never change, but did they have room for him in their lives when he looked no older than a teenager? Minato was sure that Junpei had wrinkles before the end of the year, let alone a decade later.

"You promise?" Bennia asked hopefully, her eyes alight after hearing his confession. The happiness in the room had returned it seems, "You aren't just... you aren't just going to stop the Apocalypse and go home to the other world?"

"I promise, Bennia. I... this is my home, now. I couldn't imagine returning there, honestly, for many reasons. What use does that world have for beings like me? Obviously, I am not human... not like I thought I was. Not only that... but there is one far more important reason. One reason that even if offered the chance, I wouldn't return." Minato answered calmly, standing up and stretching a bit. Lilith and Ophis seemed upset upon their pillow no longer sitting on the couch, but they got over it quickly enough.

"What reason is that?" Sona questioned, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose thoughtfully. The entire time she sat and listened, Sona had digested his words and did her best to imagine herself in the same situation.

She wouldn't have given her life for humanity, but she knew she would have given her life for her family. Minato had proven to be the most interesting person that could have possibly beat her at her own game. Minato was powerful, but kind. Intelligent and aloof, but he did not hold himself above others in superiority. He was everything she wanted in a man, if she were honest.

Sona wasn't regretting him winning that match against her two months prior, even if it meant she would end up sharing him with other women in the end. Sona knew she would have her own personal time with him like the others did. If Sona was brutally honest, for such a powerful being, his harem was still one of the most tame she had ever heard of. Rias complained about her mother always speaking about Zioticus' harem shenanigans to this day.

Minato cut through the silence once more, this time with a large smile on his face as he spread his arms a bit, as if about to embrace another being in his arms.

"It's simple. In the other world, I won't have any of you in my life."


	40. Idle Hands and Devils Playground

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **40,**_ _ **Idle Hands and Devils Playground**_

As much as I would have loved it to be Miss Toriumi, it was not her that was the past lover of Minato. I am seriously super duper surprised you haven't guessed who it was. It wasn't Yukari or Mitsuru, obviously, either.

I appreciate the feedback I get from you all, as it let's me know I am on the right course! You all are the most awesome readers I could have ever asked for, ya know that?

Diodora the explora' is going to be getting his just desserts, have no fear! It is going to be absolutely wonderful, ohhh yis.

Don't worry, I am not going to include lemons. Implied perhaps as a teaser, but it is going to take some time for relationships to reach that level with most. Kuroka is a bit more forward than the rest, but you can understand why something like that isn't going to happen over night.

We might be seeing more Persona being used here soon, but let's be honest... they are situational, at best. Minato does not have a reason to reveal that he can summon any more beings than he has already hinted at, at least not currently. Once we begin to get into the conflicts coming up, however, you are going to see your Persona.

I am trying to use more DxD elements than Persona elements for combat, honestly. There is far more freedom offered in magic and other things in the DxD world than in the Persona world.

"But he will take in energy that is not his own to modify and enhance his own abilities? Such a hypocrite, though if you meant emotionally you should probably point that out in the future."

Hmm... I am pretty sure I explained well enough that Minato was taking in the energy and mixing it with his own while not allowing the madness and darkness of man that has tainted nature to influence him. Yeah, he would take something, use it to his benefit while not allowing it to control him. Pretty simple. How did I not make it clear enough?

 _ **FINALLY HIT 1k REVIEWS! WOW, you like... have no idea how much that means to me. I never imagined I would ever see the day, honestly!**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Koneko and Kuroka were the first to rush forward into his arms following his bold declaration, followed by Nyx, Asia, Bennia, Xenovia and finally Sona. The Sitri heir had waited, watching Ophis and her daughter as they watched her back before they nodded their head in acceptance. After Sona came Ophis and Lilith, finishing the strange group of nine beings.

"I couldn't imagine my life with out you, either." Asia admitted with no small amount of happiness in her voice, "You have no idea how much it means to hear that..."

Bennia nodded her head to agree with Asia, not trusting her voice to not crack should she try to speak. The purple haired Grim Reaper was the most emotional out of them all, it seems, tears pouring from her lazy eyes unabated.

Her own childhood was rough, and to hear that the God she served, the person that she had fallen head over heels for had gone through so much anguish in the past eighteen years of his life made her heart ache.

Xenovia did her best to convey her feelings through the tightness of her embrace, despite hugging the shoulders of Koneko and Kuroka more so than Minato due to her position within the cluster.

"You are _my_ savior, you know~?" Kuroka teased, though Minato could tell it was only the way she spoke that was meant to be teasing, her words completely honest. The blue haired man that she had marked as her own for life was more than just her savior, however, he was her foundation, along with her sister.

Minato had allowed her into his life and home for no other reason than to help, going so far as to having her pardoned for her crimes so she could have another shot at getting to know her sister. Kuroka owed him the world and would remain by his side until the end of her days to repay her debt to him.

At first, she had only been physically attracted to him due to his powerful aura and face, only wanting his genetic material as a donation, but now Kuroka could honestly say she was emotionally, physically and spiritually in love with him. If she bore a litter of skelekittens with him, she wouldn't just bolt and raise them on her own.

No, Kuroka wanted him to be the _father_ of her children, biologically and emotionally. Hearing of his past, it awakened the maternal instincts within her that made her want to protect him from the world, cuddle him and whisper sweet nothings in his ear as she took care of him.

These were urges that Kuroka was familiar with, only having felt the same protectiveness for Koneko. Kuroka knew, without a doubt, that he had become her Family as well. More than that, Kuroka knew that Arisato Minato was going to be her lover, someone she would never, ever turn her back on.

From the way that Koneko was rubbing her face into his body, he could tell she was trying to comfort not only herself, but him as well. It was a reminder of just how kind Koneko was despite her ever stoic personality.

Ophis was as silent as ever, but her mind was working in overtime. 'Family' was a word she had only become familiar with lately, and it was a word she had contemplated for many, many nights now.

Her heart beat the slightest bit harder upon hearing his admission, though she didn't understand just why. She became... happy, she believed the word was for the emotion she was feeling. Happiness was not something Ophis felt often. As a matter of fact, she could count the times she was happy on one hand.

Now, however... Ophis knew that she wouldn't leave his side. Minato... no, she was his, and he was hers now. It was as simple as that, at least for her. He was the father of her child, her own flesh and blood. The type of attachment she felt was intense, likely a result of her ancient instincts kicking in.

Lilith had a hard time understanding just what her father was trying to convey with his story, but she saw all that he had gone through thanks to the holographic images he summoned to illustrate his words. The tiny Dragon God knew her father was powerful, but to stop something as massive as the other version of her grandmother... Lilith was proud of her father, so proud and she didn't know why. It was the only word she could think of to describe how she felt in that moment. Pride, and love. "Papa..."

Those gathered did not need to say a word past what had already been said, conveying just how they felt when they came to his side and into his embrace.

"Now, as I mentioned earlier... Koneko and then Kuroka have taken the initiative and enacted the plan you all have come up with. I am unsure of how to even phrase this but..." Minato trailed off, almost uncomfortable speaking about the subject. He didn't elaborate, causing Kuroka to finish his statement for him.

"Alright, time for a show of hands, girls~!" Kuroka cheered loudly, raising her hand as well as Koneko. Asia, Bennia and Xenovia seemed to move as a unit, raising their hands at the same time. Sona seemed to hesitate less than a split second before her hand was in the air, signifying her own interest in participating.

It would be a complicated affair, to say the least, but her reputation would not suffer for being a member of such an agreement. Her parents, the Lord and Lady of the Sitri family, had even encouraged her to pursue a closer rapport with him.

Ophis saw those gathered around Minato raise their hands, leaving Lilith, Nyx and herself with their hands down. The petite Dragon God wasn't sure why they were raising their hands, but she did anyway. When Lilith started to raise her hand as well, Nyx let out a small laugh and slowly lowered the girls hand with her own while shaking her head in the negative. "No, no, Lilith, not this time."

"Ah..." The daughter of Ophis and Minato murmured lowly before nodding her head, not wanting to disagree with her grandmother, despite her desire to raise her hand as well. Lilith had no idea why they were raising their hands, but if they were doing it for her papa, she wanted to as well.

"I see... well, I cannot argue against that logic. Let it be known, however, that I am relying on you all to guide me along this path as we go." Minato relented after seeing how many participants in this strange relationship he should expect. Minato's life had officially taken a turn into bizzaro-world, and he didn't find himself angry like he thought he would have been under such circumstances.

When he came into this world, he was as normal of a teenager as he could have been. Now, Minato feared he was as strange as the supernatural beings around him at this point, all due to these wonderful women and their quirks rubbing off on him.

That night, two extra beds were pushed onto either side of his to allow them all to spend the night in his room, listening as he spoke more of his past, of happier memories he had made instead of the bitter ones he died for.

Lilith, Ophis and Koneko competed over who could snuggle into his chest the most, resulting in Lilith laying directly upon his stomach with Ophis to his right and Koneko to his left. Xenovia, Bennia and Asia did not compete with one another, instead cuddling more whomever was close enough to them to fall into their embrace. Sona had gone home for the night, stating that she had a few things she needed to do before she fell asleep, though Minato could tell it was because she wasn't used to displaying her affection as openly as the others were.

Sona was a very private person, and Minato respected that about her.

Kuroka, however, had lightened the load and slept between his legs in her black cat form, snuggling into his body closer than the others. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought she was just a normal cat with how she pawed at him before laying down.

No, he knew she was just messing with him. Minato never thought he would get felt up by a cat, and it made him more uncomfortable the more he thought about it.

"Kuroka, stop that, please." Minato eventually spoke up after two minutes of Kuroka pawing away at his inner thigh and groin.

"Meow~!"

"Don't you _meow_ me, just stop it. It feels weird, and not in a good way."

 **[EX]**

"Can we speak, Minato?" Nyx questioned from his doorway, watching almost sadly as Minato laid down a stack of paperwork and rose from his desk without a word. A single night had past since he revealed what he was doing with the last eighteen years of his life, and it had been one of intense thought for the primordial goddess.

"Sure." Minato gave the woman a small smile before motioning for her to take the lead, letting his mother be the one to decide where they went. Rossweisse continued to work diligently, sorting through the many stacks of paper, separating the civilian documents from those related to the supernatural world with ease, further breaking down the organization by creating different piles for each faction.

Minato was thankful for the hard working Valkyrie, his schedule already lightening up tremendously thanks to her helping hand.

The tension between Minato and Nyx could almost be cut with a knife, nearly palpable and physical due to the thickness.

He knew she would likely want to continue their talks further after the information he revealed to her sank in. It was not every day that your son tells you that he sacrificed himself to stop an alternate version of her from destroying the world he lived on, Minato knew that much.

The two wandered the hallways and stairwells for a few moments before the two came to a room Minato had yet to venture into.

"I don't think I've ever seen the inside of your room." Minato admitted as she opened the door and beckoned him inside before slipping into the room and shutting the door behind her gently. The sound of a lock sliding into place let Minato know that perhaps it would be better he tread carefully.

"I think it is time I came clean." Nyx spoke after a few moments, motioning for Minato to take a seat on her bed. He eventually relented, doing his best to take in the sights of the beautifully dark room as best he could before his silver gaze once more rested upon the buxom form of the Goddess who gave birth to him. Statues of owls sat in each corner of the room, perched upon large wreaths of bound asphodels.

The stream of white smoke rising from the cones of incense that reminded Minato of the smell of fresh snow and honey suckles filled her room. The smokey atmosphere was further added to by the black candles that were lit with crimson and blood red flames.

It was a very large room, and Minato felt that it suited her. It was much, much darker in this room than his own, though he supposed it was natural. Nyx had admitted to hating the daylight, something that gave her a headache when in direct exposure for too long, especially due to her being the Primordial associated with the Night.

Nyx loved the color purple, going as far as decorating her massive bed and frame with a lacy fabric that glistened in the faint candle light. Various pieces of extremely detailed furniture were scattered with pleasant symmetry throughout the room, almost reminding Minato of how Mitsuru had her own room decorated.

To the right was a lounge area, so to speak, where multiple people could sit and speak with one another. There were no electronic devices in the room save for a large circular, mirror like object that Minato knew doubled as a television set in the Underworld.

"Came clean about what?" Minato questioned after a few moments of silence, contemplating just how he was going to breach the subject. Nyx seemed morose and in desperate need of a hug, her body as withdrawn in on itself as it could be.

Her usually cheerful face, something that Minato knew was mostly false, had become crestfallen and dejected. Her shoulders slumped, and she seemed so much smaller than before, not quite as powerful and proud as she came off as.

Somehow, Nyx had fallen into a deep state of depression, and Minato could feel the dark shores of her emotions crashing against him like a tsunami.

"I... the past. You know that you have other siblings, yes?" Nyx questioned tentatively, wringing her hands together before nervously playing with the luscious, long locks that feel from her crown, their ebony lengths coiling around her forefinger like a snake.

"Yes. Well, the legends tell me as much, but I do not know of them personally." Minato amended after a few more seconds of consideration, knowing that the legends stated he had many different siblings bore from Nyx and Erebus while some were born from her alone, just like himself.

"Do you not find it odd that you haven't met any of them yet?" The voice of Nyx wavered a bit, indicating just how distressed she was becoming. Her voice was usually melodious, something powerful and eerily calming at once, now becoming so sorrowful it could have been a funeral dirge.

"I... no, not in particular." Minato shrugged his shoulders after a few moments, removing his hands from his pockets before placing them in his lap, "The world is a big place, and I am a busy person. They... well, I don't know them. With Hades, and other things on my mind..."

"I can see what you mean." Nyx laughed almost bitterly before she shook her head in the negative. She took a deep breath before turning to face Minato face on, her star burst eyes boring deeply into the silver depths of his own, seeing far past the cool facade he hid behind and saw straight into the compassionate heart that lay beneath the fields of ice and darkness.

"You mentioned Erebus last night... how you stopped him from reaching the other Nyx... do you want to know something I think is a multidimensional, cosmic joke?" Nyx had tears in her eyes when she spoke again, her chest rising and falling a bit more rapidly than Minato had seen her breath before.

"What is that?" Minato was sure that he would end up with his face in her bosom and soon, doing his best to regulate his breathing lest he pass out in her embrace once more.

"You... you did the same for me, in a way. Erebus... he was jealous of you in the past, extremely so. You used to be such a mommas boy, you know, spending time with only me because of your rather colorful personality... One day, you and him fought so badly after he struck me that both of you were heavily wounded, on the bring of dying a true death." Nyx had to stop herself for a moment, either to gather her thoughts or to take an unsteady breath Minato wasn't sure.

"I... I told him to leave, and to never return. I told him that he was no longer welcome in my life, and I would not stand his abuse any longer." Nyx began to cry openly, her shoulders shaking as she turned her gaze to her dainty feet, not covered in either socks nor shoes.

Minato did not speak, instead moving his left arm so he could embrace the woman, pulling her lightly into his side to comfort her as she spoke. He didn't need to say anything at this point, he only needed to listen.

"Erebus didn't like that. He... he almost killed you that day. Instead of allowing yourself to fall into a funk, however... you trained, expanded your Domain and got stronger. Eventually, when Erebus came again one year later after licking his wounds, you were ready. You ripped him limb from limb and stole his many powers, his Domain themselves from him before casting his empty soul into the deepest depths of Tartarus, bound in the same chains that Sisyphus bound you with."

Minato felt his insides tingling a bit at the admission of his mother, almost as if confirming her words. His connection with the dark and all associated with it began to make more and more sense, now that she had revealed a portion of his past that he didn't know about.

"Is that why they haven't shown themselves? Have they allied themselves with Hades, possibly?" Minato questioned, speaking of his siblings born from either both Nyx and Erebus or just Nyx alone like himself.

"None wish to associate with me due to my hand in their fathers downfall, and by default... they likely have not sought you for the same. If they work with Hades, however... I do not know. Hypnos does not, I do know that for a fact... he is just hard to catch awake." Nyx admitted sadly, wringing her hands as she stared downwards at her lap.

Minato felt that the sad look on her face didn't suit her, and tried his best to steer into clearer waters so to speak.

"You mentioned Domains a few minutes ago... what does that mean? How did I do that, steal his Domain, I mean?" Minato questioned after a few moments of consideration, feeling that changing the subject to a bit of a lighter one would be welcomed.

"You... I keep forgetting you do not remember." Nyx admitted after drying her eyes a bit, turning to face Minato once more. "You do not know which Domain are yours, do you?"

"I do not. I can only speculate, as... well, you know." Minato didn't need to say it aloud, especially after the conversation between his Family the night prior. He was unaware of any Godly status or what Domains were, let alone which were supposed to be his. Being a sealed God that thought he was a human turned out to be as confusing as it sounded.

"Domains... well, a Domain is basically an affinity, you could say. I have two Domains, so to speak, Night and the Cosmos. As such, anything related to the Night or the outer realms fall under my control," Nyx did her best to explain, allowing a small rip into the outer realms of space to open up above her hand, "I can manipulate space in such a fashion as to bypass dimensional barriers, create a vacuum of air or fling my enemies into the vast reaches of space where no one would find their bodies. My pets tend to eat anything I throw them, greedy little things."

"I see..." Minato murmured, watching as the rip was sealed away as if a glass panel had slid over it, allowing Minato to view far away galaxies through a pinhole fracture in reality, "Does that mean you have control over things such as stars or even black holes?"

"No, those would fall under the control of Chaos, should it have been personified like the Void." Nyx reached out and placed her hand above his heart, allowing her energy to sink into his chest almost softly before she pulled it back just as quickly.

As she did, small portions of his own energy were siphoned off before she allowed them to coalesce with her own and float in the air like droplets of water in low gravity.

She cast another spell that Minato was unfamiliar with, causing the floating energy to churn and morph in on itself before flattening into pieces of blackened paper with silver etchings on their surface.

"What was that?" Minato questioned, pulling his right hand from his pocket before brushing his hand over hers, which had come to rest upon his chest once more, "That... felt almost unpleasant."

"I apologize," Nyx was quick to declare, "I should have asked first. I... tend to act without thinking, sometimes. I sought out the strongest threads of power within your body, forcing them to separate from the abyssal darkness you hide within you. This is the same spell I used on you and Hypnos when you were still babes." She admitted while tapping herself on the side of her head with her knuckles as if tapping at someones door.

"It is alright. What is this?" Minato dismissed her apology, already feeling his Mana settling once more, "I see a few symbols I can only guess the meaning to."

"Oh, well, let us see..." Nyx murmured, holding her hand towards the floating pieces of black paper before drawing her fingers towards her self in a beconning motion.

The papers floated to her hands and deposited themselves one by one until she held six aloft.

"This one is obviously the first, Death," Nyx gestured to the silver outline of a coffin with a cloaked warrior bearing a sword and an upside-down torch, "The strongest Domain and your first. This represents not only your past as a warrior, vicious in your ways, but who you are now, a peaceful deliverer that will bear a blade to keep those you cherish safe. Death is more than just the concept of the passing of life, however. Death means the end of one journey, but not necessarily the absolute end of it all."

"Of course." Minato took the offered paper, running his finger over the shadowed paper as if it would reveal its secrets, "What are your thoughts on the others?"

Nyx flipped through the pages before she came back to the one after Death, her face thoughtful. She reached up and tapped her index finger to her lips a few times, staring at everything and nothing in particular as she faced forward.

It was a few minutes before she answered, pulling herself from her deep thoughts. "You... hmm."

"What is it?" Minato questioned unsurely, not liking the look Nyx was giving him. She looked as if he were a science experiment gone horribly, horribly right.

"You are only using a fraction of your potential." Nyx stated as a fact, firm in her assessment before passing Minato the next five sheets of paper. He flipped through them idly, only understanding what a few symbols meant while only being able to guess the others.

"Healing, Fertility and... The Moon? Moonlight, maybe? I cannot guess the others, however..." Minato admitted after studying the sheets intently, bringing each close enough to his face that they could have touched his nose, "Darkness and Shadow?"

"No, only one would represent both..." Nyx trailed off after tapping the large, burning circle outlined in crimson, purple and silver before accepting the final sheet of paper back from Minato once more while he held onto the others, "I think this one represents the Universe, in a way."

"Why?" Minato questioned, not understanding how such a Domain would fall under his control in the first place. As a matter of fact, he had no idea how the others did either.

"Well, this is the symbol of the Infinite, just positioned almost like the number eight. There is no Ouroboros, however, instead having what appears to be a mandala." Nyx explained, tracing her finger along the curious symbol etched upon the sheet in the strangest shade of silver and green she had ever seen.

"And how would this come to me?" Minato questioned, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer, "You know, you are right. I know how I gained that Domain, as well."

"Oh, I take it you believe it to be the 'Universe Arcana', as you called it?" Nyx questioned, tilting her head to the side as she continued to trace the symbol, almost as if it would answer her questions itself, "It would be accurate, in a sense. The Universe can represent many, many things. That is a very powerful Domain to have, my son, very powerful indeed!"

"Hmm..." Minato didn't verbalize any of his thoughts, his hand coming to rest on his knee while his hand resting around Nyx did not budge. He could tell she was still in turmoil and didn't wish to disturb the calmness that had overcome her.

"What do these mean? Are they major things, minor?" Minato eventually questioned further, going over the list in his head once more, "Did I gain an affinity for Fertility due to my practicing of Senjutsu?"

"That may very well be, though I do not expect it to gain any more strength than it already has." Nyx admitted, shrugging her shoulders to emphasize that she was not sure.

"I see... and the Moon? Healing?" Minato questioned, pointing to the crescent moon with three beams coming down and the wave with three feathers floating above the ripple effect respectively, "Are Domains gained through experience, perhaps? Or belief?"

"Legends are a great impact upon the Domains of Gods and Goddesses, yes," Nyx answered slowly while running her hands through her hair, having drawn the long, curly ebony locks over her right shoulder once more, "If enough people believe you are a God of Healing, and you know healing spells, their belief would enhance your skill with such techniques even further. Since you are associated with the night through myself, and have acted as a seal for the Nyx that resided in the Moon of the other world... It seems natural that you would have such an affinity with the celestial object."

"So the more followers that believe I am a Healer and associate me with the Moon and its light, the stronger those Domains would become?" Minato was starting to understand just how Domains and Faith worked, for the most part.

"Exactly that. You are a quick learner," Nyx complimented, her eyes falling almost heavy as she gave her son a satisfied look, "You always have been."

"Thank you." Minato accepted the compliment with a small smile, enjoying the praise.

Minato was glad he spoke with Nyx, as not only did he have another piece of his past revealed, he also gained further insight into things he had questions about. Spending time with the woman without having to deal with hearing about harems was an added bonus.

"What about answering prayers, momma?" Minato questioned unsurely, resorting to addressing her as she wished after a few moments in an attempt to cheer her up further, "What exactly do I gain through prayers, belief and the like?"

"Well, that is easy to explain... The more followers, believers or worshipers you gain, the stronger you become, naturally. Belief is a very powerful thing, one of the driving forces of the Universe as we know it. If hundreds of people believe you are the strongest being in the realms, you would likely gain a slight boost to your physical strength as a result." Nyx explained patiently, laying her hand on Minato's knee to keep him from bouncing the limb rapidly, a nervous habit he had developed quite some time ago.

"I see... and if they pray to me for protection? For good luck?" Minato questioned, trying his best to convey his questions as well as he could, not wanting to be left in the dark about the many subjects relating to Godhood any longer, "By giving them that small portion of my energy, would it then act in a way to increase their probability of good things happening to them, or help heal them, or protect them from harm?"

"Hmm... Prayer works in two different fashions, you see... There are thankful prayers, where you receive thanks for any help you provided, or requesting prayers, where followers of yours would beg for a favor of anything from healing, to protection, to helping get revenge against someone who wronged one of your own." Nyx explained patiently, not treating Minato as if he were a child, despite his rapid fire questions and slight impatience, "Request prayers require small pieces of energy to fulfill while thankful prayers return that energy with a small piece of their own as compensation."

"So I would shed a small piece of my energy to help them in their request, and then I get it back with interest when the task is completed?" Minato was starting to understand the concept a bit better, though it was still a bit confusing. It seemed pretty simple, but he was sure there were hundreds of nuances and tiny details he would have to figure out for himself before his understanding of the many subjects would be considered satisfactory.

"Basically." Nyx did not bother trying to elaborate, as Minato seemed to understand the gist of it quite well, "Sacrifice works in a similar way. The more powerful a sacrifice, ranging from material objects to more organic, living creatures, the more power you gain. Most sacrifices are done in accordance with a Ritual, something that gives and takes from both parties. The conduction of a Ritual would not come as a surprise, as you would more than likely feel it before it can begin."

"And if I do not want things sacrificed in my name?" Minato had to wait a few moments to let the information sink in before asking his own question, doing his best to distance himself from such practices, "I do not want people being killed for more power, as I will not grant it."

"Asia has emphasized that living sacrifices are to not be conducted, and the word has spread quickly that it would offend you." Nyx assured him quickly, knowing that Minato and Cults had a very bad past. His High Priestess had explained to Nyx that Minato had, at first, been against such a gathering of worshipers, and it was only months later that she understood why he had his reservations.

Minato seemed to be lost in thought, digesting the large amount of information before turning to Nyx once more, "I only have two more questions and I will be done, I promise. What are Blessings, and what are Curses?"

"Well... A Blessing would be you directly granting an ability, strength or skill, perhaps even a trait to one of your closest followers or someone who has done a great act in your name. Since you are a God of Fertility, you should be able to grant a higher chance of having children to males and females alike, should you so wish, as well as answer prayers that fall under that Domain." Nyx seemed to pick the most amusing Domain for herself to explain, "Perhaps you could Bless the land as well with fertility and give bountiful crops as a reward as well."

"I see... and a Curse would be the exact opposite, I take it?" Minato had to restrain himself from asking any further questions, seeing that Nyx was growing more and more sleepy through the drooping of her eyes. Checking his watch, Minato saw that quite some time had passed since he sat to speak with her, much more than he expected.

"Yes. Curses were your specialty in the past, you know." Nyx stiffled a yawn, or tried to anyway. Minato found himself yawning as well despite the fact he was hyped up on four cups of imported coffee, something he drank as black as his past selves soul. "This would be the first time since you were born that you were actively prayed to..."

"I figured as much. Death doesn't seem like a being one should be praying to..." Minato admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck as he looked down for a minute, "I don't even understand how I have gained followers as it is."

"You are not an unkind God, not anymore," Nyx gently reminded him, "Now that you have Domains outside of just Death, your followers are able to relate with you a bit better. Asia has done well you emphasize the importance of Life and Death, as well as the fact that you are not someone to fear."

"Asia is a bit hard to understand, sometimes." Minato laughed lowly, shaking his head in amusement as he thought of the beautiful blond, "But I have a feeling you have been helping guide the Cult as well, haven't you?"

"Well... maybe?" Nyx didn't try to deny it, a large smile on her face as she watched her son lean over until his head rested upon her shoulders. Instead of allowing it, however, Nyx turned her body until she was laying in the middle of her bed and pulled Minato upwards so his head could rest on her bosom in an impressive display of strength.

"Now enough of this complicated talk and let's take a nap." Nyx cooed, running her hand through Minato's hair as he gave her an unimpressed look before he nodded his head and closed his eyes. This wouldn't be the first time she had demanded as such from him, and to be honest, Minato could use a bit of extra rest before he went back to dealing with paperwork.

 **[EX]**

"You know, I expected to gain weight from eating so much fast food with you lately," Minato admitted after swallowing the food in his mouth, "But no, I haven't gained a pound. It's kind of annoying."

"You are trying to gain weight, My-... Minato-Kun?" Xenovia questioned, cutting herself off from addressing him formally. Since she had insisted upon joining his 'harem', rather firmly at that, he had asked that each member refer to him by his name when in public. If they felt the need to address him respectfully during meetings between the factions, he would not stop them, however.

Appearances were everything in the world he lived in now, he knew as much.

"Not really, just seeing if I can. I do not think it is possible due to my metabolism." Minato admitted after a few moments of thinking. He had always been on the lithe side, never being as bulky as the other males like Akihiko and Junpei. Either of the aforementioned men had easily held a forty pound advantage over him, forcing him to learn how to fight dirty and fight hard when he went toe to toe with them during sparring sessions.

Minato packed one hell of a punch for a beanpole, however. His strength and endurance had shot through the roof since his return to his home world, far surpassing that of a normal human being by leaps and bounds, even surpassing that of Devils, Angels and Fallen.

As his status of a God was made known to him, his body had strengthened itself to a point that it could boast the status proudly. No matter his strength, however, he was still just toned, lacking any form of large muscles or extra bulk. Minato feared he would look as youthful as he did now until the end of his days, not even able to grow a strand of hair on his body or face.

"Is that why you eat as much as you do?" Xenovia was truly curious, knowing that he ate more than most teenagers could eat, yet did not show any discomfort from the fact.

"Yes. I have a pretty large stomach." Minato admitted with a small laugh at the bluntness of her question. If he were a woman, he would have been offended by such a question.

"I see! I will have to remember that! What is your favorite type of fast food?" Xenovia questioned while whipping out what appeared to be a notepad from beneath the table.

Like Minato, she had grown adept at spell usage to the point that she could utilize small pocket dimensions to store her personal items, as did most members of his home at that point.

"Hmm, I am fond of this place, but I like ramen and diced octopus as well." Minato shrugged his shoulder at the question, knowing that he had no real favorite between the three, "I prefer these burgers, though, with extra onions and pickles."

"Oh, you actually eat pickles?" Xenovia questioned, looking down at the green slivers she had placed to the side after removing them from her own, "They are rather bitter, aren't they?"

Minato didn't answer, instead just reaching across the table and stealing her pickles before tossing them into his mouth. He shrugged his shoulders at the look she was giving him, feeling absolutely no regret from taking the food items.

"I regret nothing." Minato calmly stated, eyeballing some of her fries as well from across the table.

Instead of getting upset, however, Xenovia understood that this was Minato's way of trying to lighten up and even unwind. He couldn't be serious all the time, otherwise the stress would drive him insane.

"You grab any of these french fries, and I will get my revenge." Xenovia promised with one of her fists raised in the air, losing herself for a moment in excitement, "They are my favorite, I cherish them too much to give them up! I shall never, ever, hand over the divine, deep fried sticks of potato, for they could only have been gifted to the world by My Lord in ages long passed!"

Xenovia looked down, only to find that the entirety of her large pile of fries had been devoured by Minato during her impassioned speech, with Minato nowhere to be found.

As the blue haired Executioner began to look around in mock anger, she spotted Minato at the counter where he was pointing upwards above the register while speaking with the cashier. Xenovia allowed her eyes to follow his finger, coming to rest on the large sign displaying the new type of fries being sold by the McRonald restaurant.

When Minato took a seat across from Xenovia with three orders of different types of fries for her to eat, she grabbed him by the front of the shirt, pulled him forward and met him across the table half way, her lips sealing across his.

"You are the best." Xenovia whispered after pulling back, opening her mouth when Minato offered a fry to her, leaning back and allowing him to feed her from across the table like he fed Ophis and Lilith.

Xenovia loved it when Minato spoiled her. She couldn't wait to try out the new sword he had gotten for her to wield along side Durandal after expressing interest in dual wielding.

He claimed it was an experiment in testing out his different Domain outside of Death, and Xenovia had proven to have the strongest affinity for the large claymore out of the 'Deathly Trio' as Asia, Bennia and Xenovia had started to call themselves.

 **[EX]**

"Swimming..." Lilith murmured lowly, drifting through the watery pool that acted as the majority of the surface area in her mothers room, holding onto her fathers back as he waded through the water slowly.

"Yes, Lilith, swimming." Minato had to stop himself from laughing, remembering Ophis and her reaction to going swimming as well. It seems that both Dragon Gods had loved the wade through the water in their spare time, gently muttering the word as they floated along.

If they wished to iterate what they were doing, Minato would not correct them.

Minato had his hands resting on the little floating device that Ophis usually lounged on, using it to keep himself afloat as both Ophis and Lilith held onto his biceps while kicking their feet lazily.

The three kicked in unison as they drifted through the large area, silence once more falling over the three. It was an oppressive silence that was only disturbed by the light sloshing of water, only for the noise to be dulled and then muted. Each new wave would generate noise that was then distilled and snuffed out.

Ophis wore her usual swimming bottom and lacked a top completely while Lilith wore a one piece bathing suit that covered her completely.

Minato had promised the two to spend time with them before he started on his paperwork for the day, and spend time with them he did. Ophis was the first to latch onto him as he slid into the cool liquid while Lilith seemed unsure at first, finally relenting and joining her mother and father in the water after Minato promised he would keep her safe.

After drifting through the water for quite some time, Minato eventually guided the three back to the central island before revealing the many bags of different flavored marshmallows he had gotten for the three to enjoy together.

The three sat in the middle of Ophis' giant bed, each still clad in their wet swimming garments as they held metal rods with the white, fluffy treats on the end of each. Minato had yet to try and breathe flames, not doubting that he could eventually create such an ability, instead allowing a small flame to manifest above his index finger.

Ophis would release gouts of violent flame to instantly roast the treats while Lilith seemed content with slowly cooking hers with her own type of fire, something Minato still hadn't studied in depth.

Minato did not know where the two put them, but each Dragon God had polished off a large bag of marshmallows each after they had all finished swimming, all before he could even finish his fifth treat.

"I need to go, girls. I promise I will try and swim again with you soon." Minato reminded the two as he rose from his position, causing the two to pout at him for quite some time until they eventually relented.

"Ah... okay." Ophis murmured in acceptance before standing up as well and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. "Thank... you."

"You are most welcome, Ophis." Minato smiled down at her, causing the Dragon God to blush heavily as her heart began to beat harder once more. 'This feeling... again.'

"...Love you, papa." Lilith whispered lowly as she, too, rose from the bed, walking around her mother until she could wrap him in a large hug as well.

Minato felt his world spin a bit as the words of his daughter registered before he found himself leaning down to plant a small kiss on Lilith's forehead in response.

"I love you too, my precious little Dragon."


	41. Unhealed Wounds

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **4**_ _ **1,**_ _ **Unhealed Wounds**_

Thank you Youko, YuukiAsana-Chan and 10th Wand for your kind words!

Mr Haziq, Lilith indeed has a Domain. It is a powerful one, as well.

I can only answer two of your questions, Disco Light, I do not want to spoil it for everyone! The siblings are indeed separate from the conflict, and Minato, indeed, got laid.

The strength of the Anti Longinus is pretty up there, but it will be even more heavily restrained the next time he has to use it. As time goes, he learns more and his strength in sealing will continue to grow as well.

Thunder dragon, as interesting as that sounds, I am not taking challenge fics. I will also not be able to put that giant wall of text on my profile, as that would literally be all that people saw. Sorry, friend.

Guest Star, I am sorry you feel that way. Heaven will be covered later. We STILL haven't hit the half way mark, despite what I thought. The Christian God still has his part to play, despite being dead and fading into obscurity.

You wanted something smutty? Fine. You wanted answers? FINE!

:

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

"You look amazing, Asia." Minato assured the blond haired High Priestess, watching as she fidgeted with the hem of her dress and twirled too and fro nervously, "I do not say that lightly."

Asia stood before Minato dressed in all white, a sleek dress that hugged her chest and hips in place of her usually dark garb. Its neckline only dipped the slightest bit, just enough to expose the pendant that she wore as a symbol of her faith. Her luscious blond hair had been pulled into a complicated pattern and held in position by a silver pin that almost resembled a crown.

Instead of wearing makeup, however, Minato's companion for the night wore nothing but lip gloss to accent her already plump lips greatly. In her hands was a simple white wristlet, something that allowed her to carry around personal effects without being as bulky as a purse.

White gloves stretched from the tips of her fingers to her biceps, ending in a floral pattern. Twilight Healing could be seen on the outside of the gloves, twinkling in the same green light that Minato had associated with her eyes.

Asia had demonstrated such control over the Sacred Gear through practice that she could withdraw the artifact directly into her body and channel it as a bow that shot healing arrows, something that Minato found fascinating.

The light glittered gently off of the silver vine tattoos that traced her throat and stretched over her visible skin. Her pale skin tone hid the markings well while an illusion usually covered her when in school to prevent her human classmates from noticing the difference between them.

"T-Thank you, Minato-Kun!" Asia stuttered before calming down, her emerald eyes twinkling in delight as she took his offered arm. He pulled her close to him gently, allowing her slender form to meld with his easily as the two fell into step with one another.

There was a restaurant that had opened up around the corner from the Americana Diner that Minato had frequented, one that featured a group playing older swing music live for those in attendance. The reservation and food price was high, but it was well worth it in his opinion.

Minato knew Asia liked older music by what she listened to when she was studying. She would dance when she was cooking to a beat that Minato was familiar with, able to hear it in his head as well when he broke down her movements.

Asia was a fan of Dean Martin, apparently, and Minato knew that the band playing tonight would feature a few of his songs. Older American music was just fine with Minato, though it was not his favorite by any means.

The two walked slowly towards their destination, not bothering with public transport or the like, instead enjoying the company of one another as they went. Night was falling rapidly, fireflies blinking against the backdrop of orange and pink as Minato and Asia watched the sun set together during their walk.

The restaurant, Pezzo di Mezzanotte, was certainly living up to the hype surrounding it, the large eatery dwarfing most other food establishments in Kuoh as far as luxury went. If Minato had to give it a rating, he would put it as the finest establishment he had ever personally reserved a table at if the screen shots and reviews of the restaurant were to be believed.

"I haven't been to this part of town yet." Asia admitted as they crossed the street leading to the Diner, "I don't recognize this block at all."

"It is where most of the higher end eateries and businesses reside. Here soon, there will be Youkai emissaries opening up shops around this area as well, selling whatever goods they are legally allowed to sell." Minato indicated with a wave of his hand to the right, knowing that some considered pointing rude.

Minato had faith in Yasaka and her ability to manage the flow of those coming and going from Kuoh from Kyoto with only small oversight from himself.

The conversations between the three, as Kunou continued to write to him when her mother wasn't at her desk, had made clear the situation in Kyoto as well as the wishes of the Shinto faction, so to speak. The Shinto were a complicated group, broken down into many different sects with varying degrees of rule of things ranging from entire territories to something as small as a pebble.

If Thanatos, meaning Minato, wished to create a new religion and base it in Japan, they would not stop him. In fact, they almost seemed to welcome it, as the revitalization of religion in the form of the Thanatosian Cult has kick started those in other cities dedicated to the Gods native to Japan.

As such, Yasaka, as the emissary of the Shinto through their connection with the Kyuubi that ran the Youkai, was given the green light to enter the Alliance with the Christians, Norse and the Protogenoi.

Minato drew himself from his thoughts of the other factions and back into the main reason he was out and about, to spend time with Asia and relax for a few hours.

"Is... is this where we are going?" Asia questioned, pointing to the americana diner, causing Minato to grin and shake his head in the negative.

"No, not quite. It is just around this corner." Minato assured Asia, though she did not seem displeased either. "We can go to the diner on another night."

"You mean we are going to go out again?" Asia seemed hopeful, as if Minato was only going to take her out this once and then be done with her.

"If that is what you want, that is." Minato tried to amend himself, not wanting to appear as if he were forcing the girl into anything she didn't want. He was still doing his best to wrap his head around the situation he found himself in and didn't want to get ahead of himself in any way.

"Of course!" Asia seemed aghast and moved closer to him, pulling his arm tightly against her, "I want to go on many, many dates!"

"Then many, many more we shall have." Minato rested his head against hers for a moment before the two finally came to a halt in front of their destination.

It was larger than the pictures made it out to be. What could have only been marble lined the courtyard of the establishment, lined with trellises woven in what looked like grape vines. As it was, the arbor they passed through was covered in greenery completely, as was most of the exotic courtyard.

Fireflies danced along candle lit tables, their soft light flickering across the slightly darkened landscape and foliage. Pale moonlight filtered down through the leaves and coverings, dotting the ground in its ethereal presence.

"It is beautiful..." Asia murmured to herself, finding herself breathless as she looked around the beautifully crafted building and courtyard.

Minato silently agreed with her before nodding to the man at the door dressed in crimson and black. The man opened the large, ornate doors for the two and allowed them passage into the cool building. Asia's heels and Minato's own shoes padded softly against the tiled flooring as they approached the podium at which a spectacle wearing youth stood waiting.

"How may I help you, Sir?" Called out the well dressed clerk at the podium, obviously the Host of the establishment for the night. He looked as sharp as a knife and very fitting of the position he held, obviously taking his job very seriously.

The faint Italian accent he spoke with was genuine as well, something Minato had heard almost constantly since Asia and Xenovia had come into his life.

"Reservation for two under Arisato." Minato answered easily enough, ignoring the baffled look the man was giving him. Apparently his name was becoming well known throughout the city, though he tried to keep his contributions and management behind the scenes as much as he could.

Ripples were something Minato did not like making, preferring to slide into the depths of the water of politics without disturbing the surface as much as possible, if he could make such an analogy. His actions had already done enough to disturb the natural order of things that had befallen the world since the death of the Biblical God.

"As you wish, sir." The Host eventually had to relent, Minato and Asia following behind him as he gestured for the two to fall in step.

After a moment of walking and partaking in the many different sights associated with the large dinning establishment, Minato and Asia were led to a private table a bit closer to the stage than most but hidden from view, allowing the two to enjoy each others company and the music without wandering eyes following them.

Ordering their appetizers and meal had been a quick affair, and soon enough, the two were left alone once more. The bottle of wine on the table had been compliments of the house, especially once one of the waiters had recognized Asia as the High Priestess of the Thanatosian Cult. It turns out that he was a Sect member of those that took care of the western portion of the city, something that had only started last week upon the growth in members exceeding one hundred.

Having connections inside of the human portion of the city would serve them as well as the supernatural side of things as the follower just demonstrated. Minato made a mental note to return the favor to the lad, memorizing his face for later.

Minato opened the bottle gently and poured the two a healthy glass before setting the opened bottle back into the bucket of ice, sampling the scent as he did so.

It was not a cheap wine, not in the least, not to mention aged beyond the common ten years. The bottle was not something Mitsuru or her father would have been proud of, but it was still on the upper end of the spectrum and not something you would buy at a grocery store.

'Tignanello, almost two decades old... dry, but not overpowering. Not bad.' Minato thought as he examined the bottle a bit further before turning his attention away from the drink.

Asia seemed hesitant for a few moments and seemed to be looking at Minato for permission.

"You are free to do as you wish, Asia. I will not punish you for drinking a glass of wine that I poured for you." Minato was amused when he began to trace his finger along the rim of his glass almost thoughtlessly, watching as Asia went through multiple different expressions before settling on one of determination. He saw hesitance, then reasoning, acceptance and finally the one she wore now.

"You do not have to force yourself, you know. If you do not want it, we can get you something else."

"No, no, this is fine!" Asia assured him quickly, waving her hands lightly to try and clear up his misunderstanding, "I have drank wine many, many times before during my time with the Church. I... really liked it, though..." Asia admitted with a murmur, poking her fingers together almost in nervousness, "So I had to stop myself from indulging when it came to be my turn partaking in communion."

"A glass a night isn't going to hurt anyone, nor will indulging further once in a blue moon." Minato shrugged his shoulders, knowing that his body would likely be far too resilient to the liquid for it to make a difference in the long run.

At this point, unless it was created by the Gods like the mead that Odin had sent him, it wouldn't really even give him a light buzz.

"You... isn't that against the law?" Asia questioned in an almost strained voice, "I don't want to get us in trouble!"

"We are hardly limited to the rules of the mundane, now are we?" Minato reminded her while taking a sip from his glass, "Well, either way, I didn't intent to come here and turn you into an outlaw."

Asia laughed lightly before she let out a content sigh as her shoulders relaxed even further, her eyes wandering around the room once more to take in the sights. Soft, twinkling lights hung above the two, pulsing gently as if they were fairies captured in tiny lanterns.

Everything was a pristine shade of white or mahogany elegantly crafted to accentuate the ivory, glossy theme.

"This is so... wonderful! Minato-Kun, I don't deserve this type of treatment!" Asia tried to protest after a few moments, her eyes wide as she continued to examine the area around the two, "This must have cost a fortune!"

"You are worth so much more than a mere fortune, Asia." Minato replied easily enough, taking another small sip of wine before returning the glass to its resting position,"Money means nothing so long as I can see you smile."

Asia stuttered her response once more, barely holding it together as far as speaking went. "You... do you mean it?"

When Minato nodded his head in affirmation, Asia let out a shaky breath and gave him a watery smile. It was not one of sadness, however. "Thank you..."

"You have nothing to thank me for. As a matter of fact, I should be thanking you for accompanying me." Minato grinned and held his hand across the table for Asia to take. The High Priestess complied quickly, lacing her white gloved hands into his own leather clad hands, his thumb stroking the back of her hand gently.

Asia didn't say anything for a few moments, instead allowing her emerald gaze to dive deep into the silver depths of Minato's own. She felt her heart speed up a bit and everything else in the room lost meaning to her momentarily. The twinkling lights, the laughter and chatter of those dinning on the other side of the expansive room, none of them mattered any further.

Their appetizers came soon after, causing the two to focus on their respective meals while feeding one another small samples of each dish ordered.

Finally, after twenty minutes of waiting, the live music performance began, causing Asia to let out a small gasp as her hand reached up to cover her mouth.

"This song! It's my favorite!" Asia gushed as she listened to the performance while bobbing her head back and forth, a large smile on her face as she placed her chin in her hand, "You knew they would be playing, didn't you."

It was not a question, but a statement of fact. Minato nodded his head and wiped his mouth with his napkin before responding. "Of course, it is why I chose this night to ask you out for dinner."

"How did you know? I don't remember telling you!" Asia wasn't upset by the revelation, not at all. In fact, she seemed to be close to tears with how happy she was. Not only was her evening wonderful, but she could listen to her favorite music, eat her favorite foods and spend time with her favorite person all at the same time.

It was a dream come true. Almost down to the letter, Asia had created similar scenes in her head time and time again when she imagined spending time with Minato alone. It was just as wonderful as she thought it would be.

"I pay attention to the way you move. When you cook, you have this pattern you follow in your steps, the way you sway your hips. I recreated the beat in my head until I could match it with something I recognized." Minato responded with a bit of passion in his voice, "I want that to change, you know..."

"What do you want to change?" Asia asked in a small voice, her smile dropping slightly but not completely.

"I don't want to learn through observation, I wish to learn through participation." Minato assured her while reaching out once more, his arms just long enough to stretch across the table to rest his hand upon her shoulder. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them resolutely, "What I mean to say is this. I wish to get to know you better than I do now, to dance along with you when you move to the rhythm only the two of us hear... _Mi_ _a Bella._ "

Asia began to stutter once more, pressing her index fingers together as her light blush exploded into carmine. Her eyes began to flutter a bit and had she have been as innocent as she was only a year prior, she would have fainted without a doubt. She was a bit harder, a bit sharper than she should have been, would have been without that one week under the 'care' of Freed, Valper and Kokabiel.

Now, however, Asia was a stronger person, one that wasn't as naive to the ways of the world, nor the affection that was shared between two lovers. Minato was her foundation upon which her life was built now, from her faith to her way of life. When she awoke and laid down to rest, she would give her thanks to him for her continued living, for the salvation he offered her and for the love he provided.

To hear Minato call her such a name... Her heart grew another size that night, almost large enough to burst from her chest.

The conversation had once more become light, though Minato had to stop himself from answering when one of the most dreaded questions possible came up.

"What is your favorite type of music?" Asia questioned while eating a small piece of cheese, her face lightly dusted with blush from either the wine or company.

"I've always been partial to classical, though I listen to whatever catches my interest. Music was one of the only things that made me feel alive for quite a few years."

Asia seemed a bit down at the admission, but Minato changed that quickly by offering her a scoop of vanilla ice cream to eat. "I feel more than alive now, Asia. You have helped those wounds heal quite a bit, you know."

She leaned over and took the scoop of ice cream into her mouth as a way to distract herself from speaking. Asia had no doubt she would do nothing but stutter. 'Minato-Kun, you know just what to say to make me lightheaded...'

Minato and Asia shared many silent dances under the moonlight on the roof of the Velvet Tower, content with the nightlife of Kuoh being the serenade they swayed to. She had improved tremendously since the first few dances Minato shared with her, though this time she knew exactly which steps to make, unlike more classical dances.

Minato had promised to get her started with her footwork, and after just twenty minutes of studying his movement closely and repeating the steps to herself slowly, Asia was moving her hips, knees, ankles and feet almost as fluidly and skillfully as Minato was. Quite a few times she lost her balance, and each time Minato would catch her. After forty minutes, the two were moving almost in sync with one another, despite that there was no particular beat to dance to.

As the two finished the last dance of the night, emerald and silver locked once more. Minato took a step closer and she did the same until the two were nose to nose.

"Thank you... thank you so, so much." Asia whispered, her voice thick with emotion, "Thank you for the most wonderful night of my life."

"This is just the first of many, many wonderful nights to come." Minato assured her gently, his hand reaching out to cup her chin. After a few more moments of staring into each others eyes, Minato leaned forward and sealed their lips together in their first kiss.

He felt the electric feeling left in the wake of her lips tingle across his flesh, from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.

Minato drew back for a moment, allowing the two to catch their breaths before he drew her in for another.

 **[EX]**

"What can I do for you, Kuroka?" Minato questioned as he poked his head through her doorway, having knocked before entering the threshold as he always did.

Once more, the messiness of her room astounded him, though he was glad she did not leave such messes around the rest of the Tower. What appeared to be clean clothes were scattered amongst other articles of clothing.

"I may have just been contacted by one of my associates from the Khaos Brigade?" She questioned more than stated in response as she sat herself down upon her bed heavily, a thoughtful look etched upon her face.

Minato frowned as well as he fully entered her room and sat himself down on the edge of her bed lightly, his body weight almost doing nothing to disturb the piece of furniture.

"Which ones?" The response came quickly, though without any heat to it. Minato knew that Kuroka would not betray him nor leak any information about the inner workings of his home, but that did not mean he would trust those that tried to contact her.

"Arthur and Le Fay Pendragon. Arthur was pretty damn upset about something when he contacted me." Kuroka sighed heavily, laying her body across his back after crawling across her bed to get closer to him, "I would wager a guess that Cao Cao has done something that Arthur didn't approve of."

Minato frowned thoughtfully, taping his finger against his lips in thought as he felt Kuroka slowly running her hand through his hair gently.

"Your hair has gotten much longer than when I first met you." Kuroka mentioned idly, loving the way the sapphire locks would spill through her fingers as she continued to play with his hair, "I like it, Nyaa~."

He didn't tell her that he had originally planned on cutting it, instead taking her words into silent consideration, "When did he wish to meet?"

"As soon as possible. I am pretty sure he is going to try and switch sides, at least from what I can tell. He had pretty close relations with Vali as well, though now that Vali has severed ties with the Khaos Brigade, as well as myself..." Kuroka trailed off, allowing the rest of her words to be left up for interpretation.

Minato was easily as smart as he appeared to be, if not frighteningly more so. He was capable of understanding just what she was insinuating.

"Do you believe it would be wise to recruit them, I take it?" Minato was amused with the offhanded way Kuroka tried to help both Minato and her friends, especially the way she make it seem like it would be in the favor of Minato and not Arthur for the two to meet.

"I think it couldn't hurt to have a few more to add to our team." Kuroka let out a small purr as she stopped running her hands through his hair and started to gently remove his jacket, indicating just what she wanted from him for the moment. Minato allowed her to slowly remove his jacket, waistcoat and shirt before leaning back into her embrace once more.

The warmth of her body spread into him deeply as she began to channel her chakra actively. Two nights ago, Minato had come into her room with an almost sorrowful expression on his face, shivering harder than she had ever seen.

He had been experimenting with his Domain once more in the Abyss that answered to him alone, though this time things had gotten out of hand. As a result of an ice spell gone wrong, Minato was far more cold to the touch than previous, so much so that his breath was constantly erupting and visible in the air due to the temperature difference between himself and the ambient air around him.

Koneko, despite being his cuddly space heater, was not skilled enough to touch the darkness in him without having repercussion, unlike Kuroka who was far more skilled in Senjutsu than either of them.

Kuroka had kept him very, very warm that night, allowing him to sleep peacefully as she purged the remnants of ice magic that clung to him, almost as if in a lovers embrace. Using her skills in Senjutsu to accelerate the process, Kuroka was able to remove the flickering piece of frigid, sharp darkness that seemed to be in flux between a solid and a viscous fluid.

The eldest Nekoshou, like the Hell Cat she was, sealed the piece of strange energy away within one of the many jewels she had in her possession after finding one powerful enough to contain the strange energy she had sealed inside a barrier above her hand.

Minato had requested that when possible she gave him the same treatment, finding that it was one of the most peaceful nights of sleep he had gotten in a while. He didn't seem too busy at the moment, and Kuroka desperately wanted to spend some time with him after witnessing the rooftop romance that he had the other night with his High Priestess.

She wasn't jealous of Asia, not in the least. As a matter of fact, Kuroka was glad that the two had finally taken a step in the right direction, having watching the former Saint dance around the subject of her affection for months now. That said, however, Kuroka was greedy and wanted to spend quality time with him as well, even if they just cuddled and kept each other company for some hours instead of spending it dancing under the pale moonlight.

Okay... maybe she was a bit jealous. Only a little.

The way her hands came around to paw at his chest and stomach while rubbing him gently caused him to shiver once more, though this time not due to feeling cold.

"A few more to the team, huh..." Minato muttered under his breath, not really paying any mind as he not only lost himself in the gentle warmth given to him by Kuroka, but the thoughts running through his head.

As it was, Minato was an incredibly powerful force. Due to being such a powerful force, however, he could no longer just act as willy nilly and instead as a Leader would.

A God, especially one as powerful as he was, could not just respond to each and every threat posed to him personally. The worlds balance was already stretched incredibly thin as it was, on the brink of shattering forevermore and leaving the world in the chaos of collapse due to his presence.

As it was, his movement was extremely limited, ranging from any areas controlled by the Norse, the Youkai, the Devils and the Fallen. Heaven had directly forbid his presence in the upper realms, though not due to disliking him or anything of that nature, not anymore anyway.

His darkness had a bad habit of corrupting the landscape around him if he let it out even the slightest bit and Heaven couldn't handle that a second time. Michael had informed him of the disrepair of Sixth Heaven, portions still sealed away to be purified after the battle held between the Christian God and himself in the past. Minato had promised the man to help find a way to repair the portion of Heaven under heavy quarantine since the battle between Big D and the God of the Bible so long ago.

Nyx joining his faction had been one thing, but the presence of both Ophis and Lilith had further tipped that balance into disarray. Ophis was, at one time, known as the number one existence, someone who could end the world should she so choose to release the full extent of her might.

Even weakened, her power surpassed that of the Heavenly Dragons, as did Lilith. That put Ophis, Lilith and himself high up there on the top ten charts, as Azazel and Sirzechs explained.

His faction, the Protogenoi as the world at large had started calling them, represented the strongest of the strong. Four members of his household could be considered Primordials, beings that transcended past Gods and Titans alike, concepts born from the Chaos and the Void.

The Ogdoad, the Egyptian counterpart, had their own Primordials, as did others, yet none bore the same type of strength of world ending potential like the Protogenoi outside of perhaps five beings.

Due to this fact, Minato had gained quite a bit of notoriety amongst the Hindu and Chinese factions, leaving China and India as no-go's as far as new alliance members went. There were rumors in the Underworld that the Vanguard of Indra, Sun Wukong, had been spotted wandering in between Duat and the Land of the Dead, letting Minato know that perhaps Indra himself was working in tandem with those that sought to end the fickle peace between the worlds top factions.

The Huangtian Shangdi, the Heavenly Emperor of Jade, had also been seen moving between the sub-factions within the Indian mythos, leading credence to the fact that India and China were both interconnected with one another and competing against one another at the same time.

Such powerful figures moving about between each others territory so freely was a telling sign of the tension currently felt around the world.

"More firepower is always a good thing." Minato eventually noted, having come to a conclusion that left him wanting.

Despite the fact that Ophis and Lilith lived with him, he wished for neither to partake in any of the upcoming conflicts if possible. Neither Dragon deserved to be further used for the goals of another, himself included.

As such, his number of fighters was low if he discounted his Persona. Lucifer, Euclid and Kuroka had already expressed their interest in fighting for his cause, putting his mind at rest somewhat, but not completely.

Should enough Gods band together, Minato had no doubt that they would deal immense damage to not only himself, but his Family as well.

That just wouldn't do.

"I will let them know you are willing to hear them out... later." Kuroka purred in his ear as she nipped at his ear lobe once more, "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"You just did." Minato murmured, doing his best to not let her actions once more get him riled up, "But you may ask another if you'd like."

"Har, har," Kuroka mock laughed while rolling her eyes, "But this one is kinda serious..."

"Just ask already." Minato had to stop himself from craning his neck to the side as she trailed butterfly kisses down the side of his neck, "Stop beating around the bush."

"Why are you so scared of getting physical?"

Minato didn't answer, instead staring into space as he thought over whether he could answer that question. The wound was still raw, even months and months after the fact. Perhaps it was best that he talked about it, get it off his chest so to speak.

Kuroka was a good listener, she had proven that time and time again. Quite a few times she would have to encourage him to speak further, as his usual habit of cutting himself off and keeping everything in his head was still hard to push to the side.

He was learning to trust again, learning to love again. Kuroka seemed to understand that the most outside of her diminutive sister, having known the signs of heartbreak from miles away.

"Do you want to take care of Arthur first?" Kuroka offered, thinking perhaps she had pushed her luck a bit too much. While she wanted nothing more than to get him to open up, Kuroka didn't want to cause him to shut down by bringing up the past once more.

"Is it urgent?" Minato didn't seem too interested in rushing the meeting, knowing that if Arthur had waited this long to get away from Cao Cao, another day or two wouldn't make too much of a difference. If he was in grievous danger, he most likely would have retreated into the depth of the territories owned by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, if what Minato thought to be true was indeed true.

The only reason Minato knew Kuroka shrugged her shoulders is because of the way her bare breasts traced up and down his back. The feeling was one that Minato had slowly grown used to, even fond of. He was no pervert, but having such bountiful bosom pressing into him started to rile up a feeling he did his best to control.

"Then no, he can wait. Do you really want to know?" Minato questioned, turning so he could face her instead of facing the wall before him.

Kuroka nodded her head in the affirmative, listening intently for him to speak. This was a serious matter and she would treat it as such. She laid both of her arms around his neck lazily, allowing her wrists to hang along his collarbones.

Minato had been slowly warming up to her, very slowly but she knew she was getting there. Kuroka knew there was something that stopped him from being more intimate with either herself or Koneko, despite the fact that both knew he wanted to be.

Something about sharing that portion of himself, his passion and physical need that burned brighter and brighter as the days went on, it terrified him and caused him to seize up. The look of regret and sometimes even anger he would display, it was never directed at Kuroka. It was for himself.

"Her name was Elizabeth, and sex changed everything between us. Before our night together, everything was mostly as well as one could expect from the strange relationship we had," Minato muttered, doing his best to raise his voice yet not speak too loudly, "She wanted to discover as much as she could from the world I lived in. I walked her through the basics of Japanese life as well as I could, though everything about her... she was strange enough to fit in around here."

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Kuroka gave him a flat look, tracing her finger from his chin to his Adam's apple, "You are just as strange."

"I am starting to believe it. Needless to say, she decided she wanted to focus on her work, having found everything she was looking for I suppose. It was foolish of me to get attached." Minato seemed remorseful, his shoulders sagging a bit as he spoke. "I don't want to go through it again."

"What do I have to do to show you that I won't be going anywhere?" Kuroka questioned sadly, her ears sagging towards her head as if she had been severely scolded, "Do you really think I will leave you after... that?"

Minato didn't answer right away, his face breaking away from his mostly stoic mask and pulling into something far more bitter. "I don't think so, but that doesn't make the fear go away."

Kuroka tightened her grip and pulled him until his face was buried deeply in her bust much like Nyx was prone to do, though something about the action was far more sensual when the Nekoshou did it.

She began to gentle rock him back and forth, cooing gentle nothings into his ears after planting kisses atop his crown. Her split tail wrapped around him, as did her legs. Kuroka pulled him tightly into her body after allowing his head to rise, his silver eyes locking with her amber orbs seconds later.

"I am yours for life, Minato. Marriage means nothing to me. My mark on you is already right here," Kuroka trailed off, letting one of her tails rise up to gently trace along the blackened paw print that appeared when she applied her energy into his body, "And your mark on me is here."

Kuroka grabbed his hand and pulled it up before placing it just above her left breast, allowing him to feel her gentle heartbeat beneath his frigid fingertips.

"Believe me when I say you aren't getting rid of me any time soon, Minato." Kuroka spoke surely, and Minato could not sense a lie within her words. His body began to relax further until he was peacefully cradled into her body, though he did his best to withdraw his hand from her flesh after realizing that he was still pressing into her bosom.

When she seized his wrist and pulled it inwards again, he was unable to stop himself from getting more than a handful.

"You have been giving _me_ blue balls for months now, though, just how bad has it been for you? That can't possibly be healthy, and I know you don't relieve yourself..." Her tone was husky, something heavy and dripping with concern, a strange mixture, "I happen to know this really cool trick with my tongue... want to see, Nyaa~?"

Minato felt his breath hitch in his throat as one of her tails began to trace along his stomach along with one of her hands, gently seeping warmth into his flesh through the skillful usage of her energy. Her proposition was one that Minato found enticing, enthralling the more he thought about it.

Many nights he would have to resort to a cold shower and use his slowly eroding iron will to control himself. Masturbating was off of the table as well, never having any moment of peace to himself to do such things.

It could have been the overwhelming stress he had been feeling lately, it could have been how cold he was on the inside almost constantly, it could have been many things, but Minato eventually found himself nodding his head tentatively after a minute of silence between himself and the woman who held him tightly.

Kuroka captured his lips with her own heavily after seeing him eventually relent, one of her hands wrapping around the back of his neck as she drew him in again, the other resting on his stomach as she applied more and more of her energy into her palms. She nibbled gently along the edge of his lip, her somewhat rough tongue tracing along his bottom lip before he allowed her entrance.

She deepened the kiss as her hand began to wander further and further south towards his belt line. When he did not motion to stop her as he did so many times before, Kuroka allowed her tongue to retract and pulled back slightly, allowing her to pant heavily for breath.

Her eyelids were heavy as she moved back in, planting a gentle kiss along the edge of his mouth, then his jaw, then further and further down his neck. She guided him backwards until he was laying against her bed with her leaning over him at an angle, her naked body bathed in the pallid light cast by the candle atop her desk.

Kuroka allowed both of her hands to work on undoing his belt as her kisses drew further and further down his stomach.

As he watched Kuroka trail further and further downwards, her lips and tongue gently tracing along the scars on his flesh, he couldn't help but react almost eagerly to her gentle hands.

Minato felt his body completely relax into the comfortable mattress beneath him and soon, wide silver eyes stared upwards at the ceiling, his toes curling involuntarily.

 **[EX]**

"It's late, what do you want?" Minato questioned as he sat down on the edge of his bed, his phone held close to his ear, "I am a bit tired, so if you wanted to have another 'Man Night', you are going to have to wait until summer break starts."

" _No, nothing like that,"_ Came the reply from the other line, the voice of Azazel easily discernible from the inflection in his voice, _"Just Vali is having a mental breakdown, I was kinda hoping for your help."_

"And how the hell am I supposed to help you with that?" Minato groused, agitated that Azazel was calling him for such a trivial matter in the middle of the night. He was just about to crawl into bed and under the thick duvet blankets woven with seals that acted as a heater, something he finished earlier that morning and was desperate to try out.

If it worked, he planned on applying the same seals to each of this many, many articles of clothing, even his shoes. Especially his shoes. Cold toes were the worst.

" _Look, I will make it up to you, I promise, you are the only one I can turn to!"_ He was desperate it seems, so much so that he was willing to compromise a favor for it. That was the best way to do business with Minato, as fair exchange was something that greased the hands of many since life began long, long ago.

"Alright, where are you?" Minato eventually relented, casting a mournful glance towards his still empty bed before allowing his energy to wash over his body. What was once bare flesh was once more garbed in a simple suit, having grown so skilled at the Dress Create skill that Minato could activate it without the need of a magic circle as a focal point.

" _My apartment, you remember where it's at, right?"_

"Yeah, I do." Minato answered, standing up and stepping through the churning darkness that opened up before him. He didn't bother saying anything else, hanging up the phone as he came to a halt directly before Azazel, who stared at him with his phone still on his ear.

"Hey, are you there? That son of a bitch hung up on me, can you believe the nerve of this guy?" Azazel questioned Minato sarcastically while snapping his own phone shut.

The room the two stood in was rather bare, if not for the many different video game consoles that sat in different cubbyholes and shelves along the walls. Different action figures rested on the top of the large shelf, ranging from mecha units to anime action figures.

"You know, I don't remember you saying anything about having a video game addiction." Minato murmured thoughtfully, eying the many different devices in curiosity. Many of the contraptions were brands he had never heard of, while some of the more recent ones that he knew the names of did not resemble the ones he had played while living in Iwatodai.

It was another reminder to Minato that even the smallest of things were different between the two worlds, despite being almost the same.

"It's relatively new, as far as my collecting habit goes. You can thank Issei for it, actually." Azazel grinned, pointing to the crimson controller that was rolled up and tucked away to the side of the console currently hooked up to his television, "But that isn't why you are here. Come on."

The two walked down the short hallway and came to a halt outside of one of the three doors, leading to what Minato assumed was Vali's room.

"Vali, I brought someone who might be able to help you..." Azazel tapped gently at the door before turning to Minato and giving him a thumbs up. Opening the door, Minato was able into the personal space of one of his 'Gang Members', so to speak.

Resting upon the shelf at the end of the room was the helmet of the Green Death, showing Minato that he wasn't as averse to the idea as he pretended to be. Perhaps Vali enjoyed being an action hero, even if a misunderstood one.

The rest of the room was rather spartan outside of having a laptop resting upon his desk and a television with his own system hooked up. Vali obviously didn't spend a lot of time cooped up in his room.

The silver haired Devil was holding his head in his hands, seating on his couch fifteen feet from the door and ten from his bed.

"Vali, Azazel says you are having a bit of an issue." Minato called out as he approached, knowing that his presence was still ignored by the descendent of his head butler, "You want to talk about it?"

"Senpai! This is great, I need your help! Tell me... you need to tell me the truth!" Vali cried out, snapping his head upwards when it registered just who was speaking to him, "Please!"

"Oooohkay," Minato trailed off for a moment, looking at Vali unsurely, "Be more specific."

"I keep hearing from Issei just how great 'Breasts' are, but... that is wrong! Breasts are not the best! They just can't be! You, however... you seem to understand the same thing I do!" Vali was gaining momentum the longer he spoke, becoming almost frenzied in his uproar.

"You still aren't making any sense. What do I understand, Vali?" Minato didn't understand what he was supposed to understand, it seemed, leading to a misunderstanding that he didn't even want to understand anymore.

"You know that hips don't lie!" Vali shouted to the heavens, standing upwards while raising one fist in the air as if Minato was supposed to agree. "The wonderful curves of a womans hips, the rear end! The Caboose! Only a woman with some junk in the trunk is fit to have a harem with! Breasts are just sacks of flesh that sag after years!"

"I'm not believing this." Minato threw his hands up in exasperation before turning around to leave, not bothering to answer the silver haired Devil, nor allowing himself to get drawn into whatever nonsense Azazel had planned for when Minato was done with Vali. "Just when I thought I've heard the stupidest thing ever, you have to go and prove me wrong."


	42. From the Shores of Avalon

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **4**_ _ **2,**_ _ **From the Shores of Avalon**_

The length of Minato's hair is indeed about the length of Yamato's from Devil Survivor 2 at this point, styled in a similar fashion due to the way their hair seems to fall.

Lq840i, I have already answered most of those questions in past chapters. Minato has no reason to worry about Fertility right now, as that would hardly help him in combat. He is focusing on gaining as much offensive power as he can and amassing his own 'Strike Force', so to speak, as a foil to what would have eventually become the DxD team.

Elizabeth never joined Minato in p4 Arena and Ultimax, she left the Velvet Room to try and find a way to help pull him from the seal. Now that he is no longer in the seal, she has no reason to leave the Velvet Room, as pointed out by CHALICE. Dr Eros, we won't be seeing a flashback of that night, sorry my friend.

That chapter is closed and done for. Minato was understanding of her choice of wanting to focus on her duties as an Attendant, thus leaving their relationship as an awkward but amicable one between coworkers, in a way. He was certainly heartbroken, but still understanding of her choice. It is a very bittersweet feeling that lingers between the two.

I indeed borrowed the Name of a religious organization, though neither will follow the same tenants. You'll see it when you see it. Time to make Londor whole.

I just found that the way Asia, Bennia and Xenovia all end with the same sound, not to mention that there are three of them, to run parallel with something from Dark Souls 3 in the form of the three sisters of the Sable Church of Londor. As far as it goes, however, it is only the name that is being borrowed, as I said.

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Arthur Pendragon was many things, having become somewhat of a jack of all trades in his so far short life. He was incredibly studious, having been well learned in the aspects of the supernatural by the time he was fifteen years old, thus well aware of just who he was trying to associate not only himself with, but his precious little sister as well.

He knew the legends of Thanatos, of the many different battles the God had taken part in and the many other Gods that fell to his hands in ages long past, far before the Greek had come to worship the mighty Olympians. He was an incredibly old being, though his age did nothing to detract from either his power or appearance.

Arthur knew of his exploits in other matters far more lecherous in nature, though it was only through rumor and hearsay of perchance old enemies. Such frivolous claims against the divine being were rather sparse, leaving the spectacle wearing man to draw from what he knew for sure now instead of what could have been in the far past.

Even after breaking from whatever seal it was that hid him away from the world, Thanatos appeared to be nothing more than a youthful, blue haired teenager with silver eyes and a penchant for healing, despite being the ultimate end of all.

The eldest Pendragon sibling was pacing back and forth almost nervously while a petite, light blond girl who couldn't be older than a first year high school student sat patiently on the bench before him, kicking her legs back and forth while her head rocked from left to right idly.

Resting upon her head was a blue witches hat with a black ribbon tilted to the side, hiding a small portion of the blond hair that spilled from beneath the large hat. Her bangs stopped just above her brows while the rest of her hair would have extended past her shoulders if it didn't curl into two large spirals at the end of its length.

Around her shoulder was a baby blue cloak with small pink flower designs dotting the cloth, flopping about lazily as the wind picked up for a moment. Covering her body was a black dress styled in the same fashion that most sorceresses wore, including her ancient ancestor Morgan, covered in golden runes and wreathed in sigils that were only familiar to those who studied ancient cultures from beyond the Great Flood, however little remained in the world.

Unlike her brother, the youngest Pendragon did not wear shoes, instead allowing the dewy grass to poke in between her toes as she wriggled them in contentment. The feeling of morning dew on her skin calmed her nerves, something Le Fay hid as best as she could for her brothers sake.

The two were asked to appear in the park of Kuoh city by Kuroka the night before, though it seemed like she was eating when Arthur contacted her for the third time, seeing as her mouth was full and he couldn't hardly understand her.

"Patience, Brother Dearest!" The petite girl seemed to bare none of the same fear within her body like that which was coiled within the shell of her fellow Pendragon, "He is here~!"

The rhythmic sound of heavy footfall against cobblestone rang out, as did the steady tap of a metal tip slowly tapping away. The fog that morning was so incredibly thick that they almost couldn't see their hands in front of their face, having rolled in from the bay the night before. The sky was overcast, so no radiant sunlight was present to cast away the fog, leaving the thick blanket to hover around Kuoh, enhancing the already gloomy atmosphere.

The sound grew closer and closer until three figures slowly made their way from the fog, their silhouettes visible before their details could be perceived. The figure in front was Death himself, known now as Arisato Minato in the world of humans.

He was dressed as impeccably as Arthur had expected, having seen multiple photographs of the man due to his sisters strange obsession with the television show he starred in, though he hadn't expected to see him with a cortege. His presence, that creeping, humbling quintessence of darkness was so tightly concealed that if Arthur wasn't as perceptive as he was, he would have completely missed it.

Arthur had been in the presence of Gods many times before, yet none were as willing to not only walk amongst mankind, but to restrain himself and blend in as he did. It was well know that the presence of Thanatos killed not only the landscape around him, but any chance of that land later recovering as well, all due to the very entropic nature that his energy was born from devouring the energy of nature itself.

He was the antithesis of life, yet he bore the ability to stoke the souls of those nearly departed and heal wounds that would normally cripple for life, far beyond the ability of a Sacred Gear was capable of.

A large, velvet blue bow was present upon the wide-brimmed and tall top hat with an onyx broach attached to the center, pulsing in a dull rhythmic light every so often. The two long strands of ribbon fell behind his neck and down towards the back of his knees, fluttering mildly in the very light breeze that continued to spread the fog to and fro around the five gathered figures.

A long black coat hung from his shoulders over a different long coat, both trailing past his waist and ending a foot below his knees. The outer jacket was allowed to hang lazily, not buttoned even once while the second jacket was buttoned from the chest level downwards, allowing the shirt and vestments of Death to peek outwards.

A white cravat with black accents hung around his neck, adding a little bit of contrast to his mostly dark outfit. His leather boots covered the edges of his pants and ended just under his overcoat, buckled in a few different places to keep them firmly in place and not slip from their position. Overall, Arthur could tell that the cloak around his shoulders was to hide the extremely deep shadows that welled around the figure before him, not to appear as a cosmetic item or a fashion statement.

The small amount of smoke that crept from beneath his coat and the way his shadow twitched and shuddered as if it were a completely separate being proved as much. The rattling of chains could be heard every so often, so lightly echoing outwards from his body that it could have been a trick of the ambient dampness. The way they rattled so softly seemed to amplify the creeping feeling of dread that followed Death into the park.

Had Arthur been a lesser man, he might have urinated himself in fear. The association he held with the Khaos Brigade had put not only himself, but his little sister as well, at odds with the being before him. Should he prove unwilling to hear the two out, Arthur had no doubt that he would not be leaving this park alive, not anymore. His chance to back out had long passed.

Kuroka stood to his left, dressed in the same revealing, black and crimson set of robes with a tight belt and strange bell accessory, her face set into a rather blank visage for someone as expressive as she usually was. A slight aura of purple gleamed at the edges of each of her fingers, indicating her usage of natural energy to reinforce her long fingernails. Kuroka was tense, ready for an ambush that wasn't going to come. Her golden eyes darted between the two and any shadow that so much as twitched, though she didn't move her head or body in the least.

The thrum of chakra in the earth beneath him was one of her sensory techniques, the range of said technique far surpassing her previous limit during her time in the Khaos Brigade. Arthur had the pleasure of working with the woman once or twice on various projects when Ophis still headed the terrorist organization, though those days were long gone by this point. No longer were the two allies on the same side of the battlefield, instead Arthur found himself somewhere in the middle between two forces that would tear him asunder should he give them the chance.

To the right of Minato stood a figure cloaked in complete shadows, a heavy black cloak embroidered in gold thrown over their tall and broad frame to conceal their identity from view. Heavy plate armor scraped together almost softly as the large being shifted the smallest bit.

The pommel of a large blade peeked from beneath the cloak, a brilliant golden hue that Arthur could have sworn he had seen once upon a time. Around the hilt of the massive, golden sheathed weapon was a circular guard that would protect the hands from downward blows, though the writing that glowed white along the edge of the stone-like circle was in a language Arthur could hardly begin to translate, having only seen that script once in his life.

It was the same language that was spoken between King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake, something that could only be understood by those of the Pendragon line due to the pact made between the King and the Lady Nimue.

"It is a lovely day for a stroll, isn't it?" The figure recently known as Minato called out, his voice the epitome of flat in its lack of inflection, "I hope the day has found you well."

It was at this point that Arthur's little sister stood up from the bench and took her spot next to her brother, rocking back and forth from the balls of her feet to her heels, only to repeat the process over and over. She did not indicate in any fashion that she was fearful of the three before her, though she certainly felt her heart shuddering in her chest.

"It has, Thanatos-Sama." Arthur bowed low at the waist while his sister gave an adorable curtsey, revealing even more of her flesh than necessary through the action, "We thank you for your audience."

"Well, it isn't every day that the two famed descendents of Arthur Pendragon and Morgan Le Fay request to meet with me," Minato allowed with a wave of his gloved hand, "It would be in my benefit to, at the very least, hear you out."

Arthur rose from his bow and took a look at the cloaked figure once more from the corner of his eyes, feeling as if his soul was screaming at him to remember something, only to turn back to Minato after pushing the feeling away as best as he could.

It seems that Death didn't wish to exchange pleasantries, which was just fine with him. As it was, he was incredibly nervous and expected an attack to occur on his person at any moment, whether by Death himself or perhaps even Cao Cao.

"We wish to establish a Covenant, Death-Sama. It has become apparent that Cao Cao is not who he said he was, nor do our beliefs align with those of the Khaos Brigade any further. A genocide waged against all opposing forces would just leave the world barren." Arthur admitted with a light frown, using his index finger to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "We are willing to tell you anything and everything you want to know and have brought incentives to prove it."

"A Covenant, hmm? That is... much deeper than a mere Contract, Arthur." The top hat wearing figure called out, his silver eyes glowing eerily from the darkness that covered the upper half of his face, "Show me these incentives you speak of, and I shall further consider your request."

Arthur nodded his head and looked to Le Fay, who smiled at her brother before producing a large manilla folder from a small magic circle that appeared above her hand. She handed the folder over to her brother before the older Pendragon strode forward and stopped two feet from Death. Instead of offering the folder to Minato, he placed it on the ground and backed away slowly, allowing Kuroka to examine the documents with her magic before nodding her head in satisfaction and picking them up.

He didn't dare turn his back on the three before him, knowing that one wrong move would be his final mistake. It felt as if his soul would drop from the bottom of his stomach at any moment, the feeling of nervousness and dread having grown fifty fold when the silver eyes watching him sharpened exponentially.

The eldest Nekoshou offered the folder to Minato without peaking inwards at its contents, only checking over the many sheets of paper for things such as curses, hexes or any other source of dark magic that might have been used to harm her lover with a pulse of her chakra.

The eldest Pendragon held his breath as he watched the blue haired God flip idly through the many different sheets of paper, his expression only changing once or twice before he looked upwards at the two blonds once more.

"This is a lot of information." Minato called out, snapping the folder shut before sliding it beneath his cloak and out of site, "And all you wish is to form a Covenant? You realize that would bind you to me, correct?"

"We have no where else to turn, Thanatos-Sama," Arthur tried to explain, his sunken in face seemingly drawing in further, "Cao Cao continues to hunt the both of us, and the Golden Dawn has refused us refuge forevermore due to our association with the Mad Dog. England has been attacked, leaving quite a few of the remaining Gods along the isles heavily wounded, including those aligned with the Pendragon family."

"And why is that?" Minato called out curiously, his cane once more tapping gently upon the ground, "Surely he would have not attacked the home of an ally, would he?"

"We are not sure just what has happened to him, but ever since you removed his arm and eye, he hasn't been the same. I fear for the future of Europa and the world, should he not be put down soon. He has come into contact with beings that shouldn't even be alive, not in their extreme age." Arthur explained with anguish in his voice, looking downwards as a feeling of sadness covered his body. Even his bubbly sister, who had been humming a pleasant tune under her voice, seemed to fall silent and look downwards as well, her cheerful visage completely disappearing.

"I see..." Minato murmured, turning to the cloaked figure to his right as if silently asking their opinion. The figure stared back before turning toward Arthur and Le Fay, taking a step forward as they did so. The cloaked being continued to walk forward, their armor and weapon clinking heavily, creaking in protest with every move.

Finally, they came to a halt just before the two before their cloak parted in the middle. Gleaming golden armor, so beautifully crafted that it could have only been forged by the elves adorned their chest, waist and legs, denoting an extremely high rank just from the craftsmanship displayed.

What appeared to be vines were etched and designed into the armor with diamonds and rubies embedded in different sections, surrounded by the same runic writing that adorned the robes of Le Fay. A heavy, fur duster and cape hung over their shoulders, a strange gray color that could have only come from the pelt of a wolf in summer from the Isles, the homeland of Arthur and Le Fay.

Only one shoulder bore a spaulder, the same arm that would bear the tower shield of this monstrously powerful figure. The sheer weight the armor was something that Arthur was incapable of fighting in, having forgone the traditional armor of a knight in favor of his pursuit of Godspeed. Each finger of the golden gauntlets of the figure were curved wickedly, made to rend flesh and bone alike in place of a lost weapon perhaps, telling Arthur that his combat prowess lie far beyond the blade at his waist.

Around their waist was a heavy chain mail skirt that flowed from beneath even more golden armor, hanging down to the knees of the divine looking figure. Faster and faster the gears in Arthur's and Le Fay's heads spun, working in overdrive upon reality finally catching up with them.

The figure reached up for the hood and allowed the concealing cloth to fall away, revealing a head full of blond hair to spill downwards upon the hood falling back. A face that could have been chiseled in marble and forever more worshiped as an image of Authority stared back at Arthur, a spitting image of a man having long fallen into his final rest in the land of Avalon, now hidden away from those of Pendragon descent.

Arthur felt his heart skip a beat as he came face to face with the very being he was named after, causing him to drop to his knee in not only deference, but confusion.

"'Tis good to see that at least two of my descendents have their heads on straight." The soft voice of the greatest King of Camelot rang out, confirming the theory of Arthur, "Not to mention ones as good looking as I! Now stand and let me get a better look at you, my son! What are your names?"

Arthur rose quickly at the command of the man that only could have been his greatest ancestor, ignoring the prickling feeling of judgment that teased the edges of his perception. Le Fay had frozen completely upon the revealing of just who the man was before them, not knowing how to react to the knowledge that the King of Camelot himself stood before her.

Ancestor Worship was putting it lightly when it came to the Pendragon family, going so far as to putting him above almost all other figures in history as far as their family was concerned.

"My name is Arthur, Sir. I was named after you, hoping that the Pendragon family would flourish under another Arthur once more." The eldest of the Pendragon siblings answered quickly before beconning for his sister to introduce herself as well.

"Le Fay Pendragon, at your service, Arthur-Sama!" The young witch bowed deeply to the man adorned in golden armor, doing her best to convey the absolute respect she felt for her venerated ancestor.

"You would serve the Emperor well, indeed," The ancestor of the Pendragon two called out after a few moments, his left hand coming to stroke his jaw thoughtfully, "You are powerful, I can feel it. You both are..."

"I... thank you!" The youngest Arthur called out, his voice nearly breaking due to the extreme nervousness he now felt, "Forgive me, but... how are you here? I was not aware you still lived, King Arthur, Sir!"

"Of course I live! True to my word as King, I have returned from the shores of Avalon at the calling of the Emperor," The King spoke lightly, not needing to raise his voice for it to carry on the ambient fog that lingered, "Though, I do not come as the King the Isles so desperately need, but as a Judicator."

"A Judicator...?" Arthur breathed out, his glasses once more sliding down his nose, "A judge, then?"

"T'would be a close description if any, but hardly the extent of the illustrious position! I shall deal out the Judgment of Death upon the battlefield, whenever and wherever the tides of war shall bring me! The legions of the Emperors enemies will be brought to ruin, so ordained by the man who called me home." The King of Camelot slammed his foot into the ground to further emphasize his words, causing Le Fay and the youngest Arthur to jump back in fright, having been enraptured by the passionate words of their ancestor.

"You are no longer in the service of the Lord of Heaven, then?" Arthur questioned lightly, wishing to affirm the position his ancestor took in relations with the Church and Heaven, knowing that at one point in his life he was faithful to the Christian God.

"I needn't expound further, but I have placed my faith and my soul in the hands of the God before me, the one who healed my wounds and nurtured my wounded ego with insight into his own mind," King Arthur spoke firmly, leaving no room for misinterpretation as he let his own Truth be known, "The Lord of Heaven was a good Lord, but I find that now, many hundreds of years later of resting, dreaming, toiling deep in the land of Avalon under the care of pagan witches and water nymphs, the Kingdom of Heaven is beyond my reach."

The younger Arthur nodded his head, accepting the words of his ancestor without further question, finding that for every answer he got, his insatiable thirst for information grew. It would be best not to earn the ire of the man, the legend himself, if only for want of keeping ones head attached to his body.

Le Fay was torn between dropping to her knees in awe of her ancestor, or her idol, or both. She settled for both and dropped to her knees dramatically, flailing her arms a bit as she did so before she produced a large poster from a personal pocket dimension, still rolled up in its tube. She quickly removed the top of the cardboard roll with her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth before revealing the large poster to Minato.

There he was, posing with Vali, Azazel, Sirzechs, Kiba and Gasper in all of their spandex wearing glory, Minato striking a pose that was more embarrassing than not.

"Death-Sama, Please grace me with the divine script known as your signature, I implore you!"

Minato frowned a bit, ignoring that both Arthur's were staring at him incredulously as he withdrew a pen from the inside of his coat and quickly wrote his signature out in English, something he was proud of being able to do thanks to extensive studies of languages and the strange ability of most supernatural beings to communicate with one another despite large gaps in the language barrier.

"How do you want it written out?" Minato questioned idly, not paying attention to how both Arthur's seemed to huddle together to conspire amongst one another.

"To my number one fan, if you can, Death-Sama!" Le Fay had stars in her eyes when she spoke, trying her best not to begin gushing or making a fool of herself, "I really am though, your number one fan that is!"

"Oh? That is... good to hear?" Minato questioned more than stated, unsure of whether or not his statement was true, "Here, this should do it."

He handed the poster back to the blond witch, who took it and cradled it to her chest while rocking to and fro in contentment, letting out a heavy sigh as she did so. "Thank you so, so much! I will cherish it forever and ever, Death-Sama!"

"Your sister is truly this absentminded as well?" The King whispered out lowly, his baby blue eyes darting between his two descendants, "Because she cannot grasp the atmosphere just as my own couldn't."

"It's true, she can't read the mood..." Arthur lamented, almost hanging his head at the antics of his diminutive sister, "But I love her dearly all the same."

"As any good brother should." The King nodded his head in an almost forlorn manner, "I must return to Avalon, the nine Sisters wish to commune once more and I shan't be stopped from a good swim in the lake after hundreds of years drifting as nothing but a soul in the void!"

With that, the King turned his massive frame away from the two descendants of the Pendragon name and towards Minato, to whom he bowed deeply to.

"Emperor Minato, you have but call my name and I shall come. You are certain that I am allowed to return, even now?" King Arthur seemed almost confused, shifting his large, armored frame from one foot to another, "It is not too much strain on you to maintain the summoning?"

"It is no issue. Go, as you said, you can hardly miss such an occasion." Minato made his opinion known quickly, having discussed with the man the chances of gaining those in Avalon as allies in the upcoming conflicts with Hades. King Arthur seemed most intent upon not only speaking with the Nine Sisters, but the fairy queens and other rulers as well to rally them to join the Alliance.

The initial summoning of his Persona, or whatever his Persona had become, came at a large bulk cost, but the more he tried to summon consecutively, the higher the energy cost became until by the eighth summoning, he could no longer afford to summon another without risking his health tremendously.

Maintaining the Link with both Lucifer and Arthur was negligible, but the more he summoned to the field, he higher the strain on his energy became. It no longer seemed to cause any form of mental strain, most likely having to do with the fact that his Persona had become physical manifestations of the Soul, a full resurrection of those who harkened his call.

As it was, the soul of Arthur was send adrift in the same way Minato's was by the Christian God and Hades, though this time under different circumstances and hardly by the same design. Mordred had dabbled in curses so black that even Minato shuddered to think of casting such abominations of nature, so much so that he had become nothing more than a warped husk of organic armor with a sword just as bloodstained as his name.

Using that same cursed blackness within him, so different yet so alike that of Minato, Arthur's soul was heavily wounded and almost faded from existence during his rest in Avalon. His soul was cast from his body and beyond the laws of the realm Minato found himself in, thus preserving it from further corrosion from the curse of Mordred, hoping that one day the darkness would fade and his wounds would begin to heal instead of festering further.

When Minato first summoned Arthur upon feeling the beckoning of a soul so much like his own, he was nothing but a mad beast of flesh and iron like Mordred had become, breathing darkness as he did air and casting shadows as he let loose his blade. His pristine golden armor had dulled to gray, almost black and rotted away at as if acid had rained down constantly upon its once glistening frame.

Minato had been fortunate to have already been in the Abyss upon the summoning of King Arthur, for it was only after the subjugation of his soul after restraining him that Minato recognized the signs of corruption. With great care, he was able to remove most of the taint and seal it away within the blade that the King wielded under heavy seals of Light, many associated with the name of the Christian God and thus Holy in nature.

While Minato was far from a Holy figure, he was still capable of using seals to reproduce the effect of Holiness, thus cleansing the crystal blue blade with golden engravings of the curse of Mordred and leaving it free from influence from the curse that was locked into its core.

Pulling that taint from his soul and then coaxing the spirit of the King to heal was far easier said than done, leaving Minato with a massive headache and a nosebleed by the time he was finished scouring the depths of the soul chained before him, going so far as to the bottom dregs and scraping them clean of the curse left by Mordred and his abyssal arts.

The resting body of Arthur was pulled away from its place in Avalon and once more used to house his soul, leaving the King to once more walk the lands, now under the service of Death. It could have been the fact that Minato had influence over him due to the way the two were connected now, but King Arthur didn't seem disagreeable to his new lot in life, agreeing to act in the official capacity granted to him by Death.

Having two of his descendants join along with him within a day of him being resurrected was icing on the cake.

"When I return from Avalon once more, we must partake in a Hunt, young Arthur!" The King called out as he drew his blade before slashing downwards, opening a large rip much in the same way the younger Arthur did. The younger Pendragon could tell that it was a skill of the King and not something he relied on the blade for, unlike himself. "And you, young Le Fay, take care! The Emperor is sure to keep the two of you safe, should you prove useful."

With that, the former King of Camelot and the Judicator of Death left for the Lands of Plenty, leaving his two descendants to whatever fate awaited them upon their swearing to Death.

"Well, let us be off, then." Minato called out after a few moments of silence, "You still have some explaining to do."

Arthur and Le Fay shared a nervous look before nodding their heads in unison. Their chances of survival were higher than expected already, if they were honest. Having been forced to stand face to face with their ancestor was the first test, something they obviously passed as they still lived, now they would face the second.

 **[EX]**

"This... is much better than I expected it would be." Arthur admitted honestly, rereading over the contract written in silver upon ebony colored paper once more, "And there is no fine print? This is it?"

"As I said before, that is all that would be expected of you. Honestly, you two are the first to establish a Covenant with me, in this way rather." Minato assured him, watching as Le Fay read and reread the contract before nodding her head resolutely. Arthur didn't take much longer to make up his mind, either, having found that the contract was most satisfactory.

The two were expected to represent the House of Death now, should they accept and sign the contract. Of course, that meant multiple things, not withstanding just the political ramifications that might come at a later time.

Arthur and Le Fay were expected to heed the call of Minato, should he call for either of them to assist him in any manner.

Both would no longer be able to associate with political groups such as the Golden Dawn unless acting on behalf of Minato, nor would they be able to return to the care of their family unless so ordained by Minato as well.

The reason was easy to infer, a preventative measure from holding mixed allegiances and thus closing one of the many loopholes that could have been used to provide information to an enemy through a middle man.

Such measures continued down the list, though many of them were assurances that abuse of power would not take place, something that neither Arthur nor Le Fay had any intentions of doing.

The basic tenants of the Sable Church, as those outside of Japan had started calling the collective that worshiped Thanatos, were to be followed as well, exemplifying things such as selflessness, though not so much so that one ruins oneself for another beings sake.

Over all, Arthur and Le Fay were expected to be loyal to Death and the Protogenoi, keeping any and all secret safe with their lives.

Once Arthur indicated that he agreed to sign the contract, the sound of two chains rattling together filled the air. Minato allowed two extremely thin chains bearing sharp tips to appear from his shadow, offering the bladed tip to each of the two siblings.

"Prick your finger and sign in blood." Minato intoned, causing the two to move at their own pace to do as instructed. Le Fay showed herself almost eager to sign the contract while Arthur was less willing. It seemed that there was one final matter that Arthur wished to clarify before he signed.

"If I had a lover who is still associated with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, would I be prevented from seeing her should the opportunity arise?" Arthur questioned unsurely, not willing to part with what remained of his freedom in the off chance that he could see his beloved once more, "I understand that the political environment hardly allows for such a thing at this moment, but perhaps in the future?"

"I do not see the Hermetic Order becoming my enemy, if that will put your mind at rest a bit, though I can hardly speak for what may happen in the future." Minato did not sugarcoat his words, though he did try and assure the man that such a thing might be possible in the future, "Love is something that I understand very, very well."

Arthur nodded his head and scrunched his face up for a second before he, too, nicked his finger and signed his name as neatly as he could upon the dotted line, thus sealing his pact, his Covenant with the personification of Death.

Le Fay handed her parchment back first with a large smile on her face, having been very pleased with how things turned out. Her Covenant with Thanatos-Sama would be far more beneficial to her than a mere pact with a Devil would have, even despite the fact that it came as a semi-permanent agreement rather than a temporary alliance of convenience. Until she no longer drew breath, Le Fay Pendragon would be expected to keep true to her agreement and provide her services to Death and Death alone.

She would act in a different capacity than her brother Arthur from what she could tell, acting as the Magus of Death and doing her best to further the knowledge of the Protogenoi on the arts of magic, something that she was eager to get to work on. Arthur, however, would be acting as a Judicator much as their ancestor, delivering the many foes of Death to their very timely fate.

Arthur couldn't help but crack a relieved smile upon finishing signing the black contract and handing it to Minato who took the document gratefully. Looking over the two contracts once more, Minato allowed them to disperse into whispy shadows and rejoin with his body, his eyes flashing once as if to signify his acceptance of their contracts.

Both of the Pendragon siblings felt something heavy settle upon their shoulders, a weight that they couldn't shake no matter how much they shrugged their shoulders. The weight continued to grow heavier and heavier until the two were driven from their chairs and to their knees before the desk that sat in front of.

Doing his best to look upwards, Arthur watched as the silver eyes of Thanatos shifted their shape as if going through the many phases of the moon, an eerie green light creeping along the edges of his scalera before disappearing just as quickly. It felt as if he were being judged once more, indicating that perhaps this was the final test they would have to pass.

Le Fay let out a small whimper, though it was from the exertion from the heaviness bearing down on her and not from any sort of pain. She felt something prodding at her, poking at her, testing her resolve before finally relenting. Just as it came, the weight slowly lifted until diminishing completely, allowing the two panting descendants of King Arthur to rise from their kneeling position and take their seats once more.

Arthur attempted to look as dignified as possible while Le Fay forwent dignity, flopping down in her chair while letting out a small noise. "Mou, that was heavy~."

The three slipped into an almost amicable silence, Minato relenting in his studying gaze after finding himself satisfied with what he saw. Not only did Arthur and Le Fay provide him with just what he wanted, information wise, but had accepted the contract he proposed without a second thought. He did his best to allow them some form of leeway without giving the two enough freedom to betray him, creating a binding agreement that would keep them well within his realm of influence while giving them enough reasons to want to join him permanently.

It was hard, trying to find the perfect balance between give and take. Minato mostly took, only giving small things that he would have given any other living being that came into his employ.

"The wording of that contract was rather peculiar, was it not?" Arthur questioned after a moment of silence, finally speaking his mind about the one thing he noticed the most, "I chooseth this fate of mine own free will?"

Minato had a small, almost sad smile on his face when he answered, the first real expression he displayed outside of casual aloofness, "It is rather misleading, is it not?"

Arthur nodded his head mutely, knowing that he was not going to get any further explination upon the phrase, or just why it unsettled him as much as it did.

Minato pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Kuroka to show Le Fay and Arthur to their rooms while he rose from his desk, his back popping a few times as he did so.

"Now if you will excuse me, I have other business to attend to before the end of the night. Tomorrow is a big day, after all." Minato spoke while grabbing his cane and top hat from the edge of his desk. "I sure hope Lilith isn't too upset with me."

Arthur and Le Fay did not ask who Lilith was, being ushered from the office of Thanatos with a small wave of his cane every few steps. The two were quick to follow his silent orders, moving quickly as to not get smacked with the exquisite looking walking stick.

"Alrighty, you two, follow me~!" Kuroka called out for the two to follow after her after the elevator opened up, "Let me show you to your new rooms and then I'll show you around!"

"Thank you once again, Death-Sama," Le Fay was quick to capture his attention once more, bowing deeply at the waist as she did before, "I promise not to let you down."

"I have no doubt of that, Le Fay." Minato assured her as he passed the elevator, giving Kuroka a chaste kiss as he passed, "Now, make yourselves at home."

"Yes, Death-Sama!" Le Fay called out cheerfully, rising from her bow with a bright smile on her face before she turned to Kuroka, "And thank you, Kuroka-Sama!"

"Jeez, Fay, your making me blush! Didn't I tell you to just call me Kuroka?" The eldest Nekoshou almost blushed at the respect being shown to her, having grown used to being treated almost as the scum of the earth no matter where she went, "I don't deserve that kind of respect, Nyaa~!"

"Despite the fact that your apparel leaves much to be desired, you still stuck your neck out for us. We will not forget this debt we owe you, Kuroka." Arthur spoke for her, letting her know that the two of them were firm in their belief, "You could have left us in the wayside instead of speaking to Thanatos-Sama. We very much appreciate your help."

"Well, when you put it like that..." Kuroka trailed off, a small smile appearing on her face upon hearing the gratitude Arthur was giving her, "Don't worry about it. You were way nicer than that prick Bikou."

Arthur couldn't stop the laughter that came upon hearing her admission, having heard of the legendary fights that once occurred between the two Senjutsu practitioners, "He does have a way with words for being a disgustingly crude monkey. If he had decorum, I might have respected him more."

Kuroka chuckled lightly before she pressed the button on the elevator that would take the three to the second basement floor, the same floor that her own room resided on, "Come on, let's go you two, I have a lot to show you and not a lot of time to do it."

Arthur and Le Fay quickly stepped forward unto the elevator, ignoring the haunting tune that was playing over the intercom link. It seems that Thanatos had a wicked sense of humor, if the funeral dirge styled as a lounge piano piece playing in his elevator was to go by.


	43. Pack your stuff, we're going to Hell

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **4**_ _ **3, Pack your stuff, we're going to Hell**_

Also, it is April 7th today, right? Happy 8th anniversary of Minato arriving in Iwatodai!

[I'm super sick, so this is a belated message now that the 7th has passed.]

Minato's outfit _was_ inspired by Bloodborne, but also as an evolution of his current attire of a double breasted velvet blue suit. The first coat is double breasted as well and closed from the chest down, hiding his shirt and vest from view except for towards the neck.

What I mean by that is the extra coat allows him to have access to some form of shadow when it is stationary, moving or thrown, considering Kuroka has proven that in a bright enough area with enough sources of light, he might not have access to enough shadows to summon his more powerful weapons or use his method of quick traveling. Same for his hat.

The cane isn't a cane, it just _looks_ like a cane. While he might look a bit odd carrying a walking stick with him, it is far more inconspicuous than carrying around a sword-spear.

I don't see Minato wearing heavy armor, so I need to give him clothing that not only works for being nice enough for politics, but combat as well. A high school uniform just doesn't work for the attire of a being in control of his own faction, nor does a normal business suit. Therefor, why not have a nice middle ground between the two?

On the question of why Asia is using healing spells and not just relying on Twilight Healing, I want to point out a few things. Twilight Healing is only capable of healing wounds, not sickness or stamina loss, while spells are capable of healing all three. As it is, Asia has gained the ability to use Twilight Healing as if it were a focal point for her spells, increasing the effectiveness of both due to the nature of Twilight Healing.

That guest review _complaining about Messiah, AGAIN,_ gave me _conniptions._

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Minato looked down at the piece of paper in his hand with a small grin, a feeling of pride growing in his chest as he compared it to the piece of paper on his desk. He never really thought he would be feeling pride for another person as he was now, considering his long fight with apathy, but it was roaring through him most profoundly now.

Bennia had certainly improved her grades tremendously, earning quite a few remarks from her teachers on her studious nature and how she seemed eager to be called on in class in the past few weeks, unlike when she first started to attend Kuoh.

All of her grades were within the top ten of her class, something that Minato honestly didn't expect from the petite Grim Reaper.

With a sly grin on his face, Minato spun in his chair and faced away from his door, doing his best to make his aura and presence intimidating as he tugged on his link with Bennia thrice as a way to summon her.

It was the 'come here, _now_ ' signal, indicating that Minato had something to say to her that was important. As a matter of fact, this would have been the first time that he used this particular signal to summon her, having only tugged on their link once or twice, never thrice.

Bennia came running into his office with a pale face, panting as if she had run up the stairs instead of teleporting or taking the elevator. She must have gotten so caught up in reaching him that she neglected to remember the skills or machine that would have brought her to him much faster.

"Bennia, we need to have a few words." Minato deepened his voice before setting his face into a grim frown, doing his best to maintain the look and not ruin the 'Mood' he was trying to create. It wouldn't be good if Bennia found him out half-way through his little trick.

"Yes, M-Master!" Bennia was standing at attention when Minato turned slowly in his chair, her long, purple hair dripping wet with a towel clinging to her body. She had hardly grown half an inch in height over the past few months, something that would have concerned Minato if she hadn't assured him that she took after her mother. Physically, Minato was told that, naturally, she was going to remain the same size for the rest of her life, only having perhaps an inch or two left to grow in height.

The frown on Minato's face became real instead of a false one, upset with himself for not making sure that she wasn't busy before pulling his little trick. He had no intentions of interrupting her bath, knowing that she took three a day or even more, depending on her mood. It was just another one of her creature comforts, finding comfort in the warm water just as Minato did. It seems that all beings who held the same cool darkness within them suffered from the same withdraw of body heat.

'Too late for that.' Minato groused to himself lightly, chiding himself before slamming the thick manilla folder he slipped her report card into onto his desk for dramatic effect. The impact kicked up a few of the loose sheets of paper that were still off to the side of his desk, though they hardly mattered for the moment.

Just the piece of paper itself would have hardly the effect he wanted, needing something a bit more dramatic to drive his little prank home.

"Bennia... take a look at this for me. Take a nice, hard look. Do you want to know what happens to those in my care who receive grades like _th_ _e_ _se...?_ " Minato allowed his voice to gain a rasp, causing her to flinch slightly before reaching out to open the manilla folder.

She made high marks in every subject, though not quite the perfect score. Bennia thought she was safe from punishment, that her grades would be good enough to please him.

"I... I'm sorry! I thought-" Bennia tried to speak, only for Minato to raise his hand to stop her. The frown left his face slowly before it became completely blank.

"I am going to show you just what happens when those in my care allow things such as this to happen..." Minato murmured out, "Close your eyes, Bennia."

Instead of verbally replying, Bennia closed her eyes and tried to get her body to stop its shaking.

The sound of rattling chains grew closer and closer, as did the sound of something... snoring?

"You may open your eyes, Bennia." Minato whispered in her ear, leaning close enough to her that his breath danced across the surface of her skin. Leaning back just in time to avoid the whiplash of wet hair, Minato allowed the sleeping figure in his arms to be the first thing that Bennia saw instead of himself.

When Bennia opened her eyes fearfully, she came face to face with the sleeping form of a large, sleeping puppy that had lengths of chain wrapped around its body, somehow conjoined with its flesh while appearing as if it were a natural growth and not bound to it. At the perfect moment, the very large creature opened up its fiery eyes, a sleepy orange and red meeting an equally sleepy gold.

Bennia felt her eyes widening slightly from her usual half-lidded stare, unbelieving that her Master had pulled such a prank on her. Not only did he make her think she was in trouble, but he did it _well_. She felt her heart beat a bit harder upon the realization that he _did_ have a hidden prankster within him beyond acts of petty revenge.

"Those who do well are rewarded, Bennia. Good job." Minato spoke after her jaw dropped open and she began to impersonate a fish, "I remember hearing you mention that you wanted a puppy, so I went and got you a Barghest. He hasn't been named yet, so I leave it up to you to come up with a name."

Bennia flopped her mouth open and closed it rapidly like a fish before she lurched forward and wrapped her arms around Minato, her towel long forgotten. The lazy Barghest puppy didn't seem to mind when he was gently set down in the chair next to him, instead curling up into a ball and falling asleep once more, its ebony colored hair contrasting against the plush blue chair that was set out for whomever had an appointment with him.

Minato wrapped his arms around Bennia in return after depositing the Barghest safely, his gloved hands fitting perfectly against the small of her back and between her shoulder blades. He had to lean over the slightest bit to get a good position to return the hug, something he wasn't used to due to his height being mostly average five foot seven. For one of the few times he could remember in his life, he almost felt tall for once.

When he felt her body trembling a bit, he figured she was cold. Being mostly wet and hugging Minato was not a good idea, his body being almost as cold as ice itself due to the extremely dark nature of his energy, the entropic nature devouring most of his body heat completely. His organs shouldn't have been capable of surviving at the constant low temperature, but he figured Divinity had to be good for something.

Allowing his magic to release the slightest bit, Minato used the Dress Create skill to create something that wasn't exactly an article of clothing, but a piece of fabric none the less. A much larger, and fluffier towel than the one she dropped was draped around her, one with a heating rune etched into its surface and powered by Minato to keep her warm.

Bennia looked up at him with a watery smile, causing Minato to give her a small, but confused smile in return.

"Is everything alright, Bennia?" Minato questioned, concern coloring his voice as he furrowed his brows the slightest bit, "You are... crying."

"I'm okay, just really happy!" Bennia explained in her usual cheerful yet sleepy tone, standing on the tips of her toes to give her the slightest bit of extra height, closing the small distance between herself and Minato.

Minato knew what she wanted and granted it, leaning downwards to capture the lips of the petite Grim Reaper with his own. It was sloppy, lazy, and so like Bennia that Minato didn't mind. She had no idea what she was doing and it showed.

It was already difficult for her to overcome her nervousness enough to kiss him this once, if he spoke negatively of her first kiss, she would likely be devastated.

Minato nibbled lightly on her bottom lip before pulling away, leaving a heavily blushing and sputtering Bennia to stare up at him with even wider eyes than before.

Bennia was more flustered about their first kiss than even Asia was, something that Minato would remember until the day he died. The trickster that stuck up for everyone in the cult by pranking any bullies and naysayers was so rattled she was rendered speechless.

"You keep looking at me like that and your face might get stuck in that position." Minato idly noted, though she seemed to infer something else from his words than he intended and began to sway a bit in his hold. When her body became slack in his arms, he quickly corrected his hold on her and picked her up, growing greatly concerned.

When he heard her mumbling under her breath about ecchi things with her Master, Minato began to understand just what happened.

So not only was she shy enough to pass out on him, but also a closet pervert as well. 'Why am I not surprised?' Minato thought to himself as he walked from his office and into his bedroom where the extra large mattress lay centered in the middle of his room.

Contacting Azazel to order an even larger bed than before caused him to question why Minato needed an even larger bed, something Minato was not willing to expound upon. Azazel took his silence for what it was and sent it to him in the next hour, leaving the other massive bed to go to a different section of the tower.

Minato focused on tucking Bennia into the extremely large bed with the comforters pulled over her now clothed body, having created a small night dress for her to retain a small iota of her modesty. The fluffy towel was neatly set beneath her head to continue drying her long hair.

After making sure she was as snug as a bug in a rug sipping suds, Minato leaned down and kissed her forehead gently before departing from his room and back into his office, where the loud snoring of the Barghest puppy kept him company for quite a few hours.

 **[EX]**

Rossweisse had requested to take the day off to gather the rest of her belongings from Valhalla now that the backlog of paperwork had been mostly dealt with, leaving Minato to finish what was left by himself. The Valkyrie had been most polite throughout her time working with him so far, even offering to take more responsibilities to take up some of her free time, which Minato denied as politely as he could. Rossweisse was also easily flustered and had a habit of reading too much into the comments Minato would make in passing.

If she wasn't apologizing for one thing or another, she was doing her best impression of a stiff plank of wood with the way she held herself. Minato had done his best to try and get her to relax and it had worked for the first few days, but something seemed to cause a regression in his attempts of trying to get her to loosen up a bit.

Perhaps it would be best if he tried to talk to her over a cup of coffee. She seemed to enjoy the beverage as much as Minato did, and hopefully the familiar drink would get her to relax long enough for him to get to the bottom of things.

Now, however, he was once more in his office, fighting against a dreaded enemy that he was beginning to think he would never defeat, not fully nor in any meaningful way. No matter how many documents he read over and signed off on, they kept coming.

The sound of snoring and the occasional whine from the Barghest puppy caught his attention, though he did his best to ignore the instinctual desire to pet, ogle and love on the creature and let it continue its rest.

The alone time was something he had been lacking in lately, especially ever since his acceptance of the Harem proposal posed to him by Koneko. It allowed him much time to sit and reflect on the craziness that had enveloped his life, causing him to fear that his hair would go gray soon from the stress alone.

Things with Heaven had been going great, as far as the contact between Michael, Gabriel and himself went. As it was, there was nothing that Minato could really do if they wouldn't accept his help as far as their quarantined section of Heaven went. He didn't think revealing that he could summon Angels, very powerful ones at that, was a good idea, not at the present time.

Minato honestly didn't think it would be good for the state of the worldly politics for him to start summoning dead Gods, Demons, Angels, Devils or other beings any further than he already did. Michael was a bit of a stiff, and Minato wasn't sure if he could placate the man if he decided to go up in arms of his disturbing the rest of his fallen comrades.

While the Angels under his command were loyal to him, they were all very much so loyal to Heaven and their Father as well. This created a confliction that Minato nipped in the bud before it could grow even more problematic than it already was.

In all honesty, Minato feared that Metatron or Sandalphon would mention a bit more about his past than he would like to have revealed to Heaven at this time, perhaps even his one time companion Messiah.

Something about Christians and the word Messiah made things go a bit crazy. Minato was _not_ touching that topic of discussion and that was that. Michael and Heaven would not know of what he could summon, or what he gained through his sacrifice for his family. Gabriel seemed to know, however, due to the quick analysis of his energy that she performed.

It was an invasive analysis, sure, but she had no reason to use that information against him, nor any capability of doing so either.

Something about the doe eyed woman disarmed him and made him want to trust her. Perhaps it was the innocent photos she continued to send him of the many different human things she has gathered to study further, ranging from her obsession with Dogs to her love of Disney movies.

Minato wasn't sure why Gabriel decided to text _him_ of all people, but she was fun to talk to in a way. It reminded him of Elizabeth in the way that she was completely clueless of the current generation of humans and the way they did things, technology once again creating a gap in knowledge between the older generation and the younger generation.

Now that the tension between the Christian factions had settled, Gabriel had admitted to being able to visit Italy much more frequently, spending time with the sisters in the Vatican more often than not as of lately, interacting with the human population more than ever.

The Fallen had provided quite a bit of help when it came to setting up a laboratory for Lucifer and Euclid to operate out of, both having been incredibly adept in the art of not only working with ancient Devil technology, but studying Sacred Gears as well. So far, Euclid had still not been trusted to view any of those outside of Twilight Healing and Variable Destruction, but the insight he gained from the two more than proved his intelligence.

Under his suggestion, both Asia and Xenovia began to train their Sacred Gears to maximize their potential before the two could hopefully be pushed into a Balance Breaker. Asia had learned to project her aura outwards as a cloaking heal, causing it to act as a heal over time instead of one that instantly healed and dispersed. The projected aura was not a blanket effect, however, only sticking close to those that Asia willed to be healed.

The technique certainly was demanding as far as her energy reserves went, but Asia had reserves for days after the extensive training she had put into her skills regarding magic. She did not have the luxury of having Devil Energy to wield that allowed her to just use her imagination, instead having the strange mix of divine energy siphoned through the link with Minato and the healing energy that had always been with her.

Xenovia had proven her love of senseless destruction, having been able to project beams of explosive power from her swords thanks to her skill in wielding Variant Detonation. She was able to use the Sacred Gear to act as a strength enhancer as well, able to cause an explosion of concussive energy instead of an pyroclastic explosion like those wielded by Heracles.

There was not a sliver of technique in her fighting style, though she had picked up quite a few dirty tricks from Minato to use in her fights in between the sparring sessions held by the two. Morethan a few times Minato had been forced to reinforce his arms with energy to hold back the mighty blades she wielded, though she still had room to grow before he was comfortable with her ability to survive the coming conflicts.

Minato had gleaned quite a bit of understanding on the subject of Sacred Gear as well through the advice of Euclid, enough so that he could craft a singular seal that would keep the Anti Longinus under his control without releasing the torrential power of the weapon.

The use of such a large amount of fire power at once was situational at best, especially considering a portion of his fighting took place in populated, urban environments. Restraining such strength had become mandatory after seeing just what summoning the weapon did to the realm of Asgard. Odin complained about it being midnight for a week, though he was the only one to complain about it.

Yasaka and Kunou continued to write to him daily, each growing more and more excited about the next time they would be meeting. Lilith, despite not looking it, seemed to be excited for it as well. Minato had gone as far as dressing up in uniform and practicing lines for the show with her, deciding on what he could and couldn't say based on her reactions.

They ranged from blank, blanker, tilted blank and deadpan blank, the four expressions of Lilith that Minato could discern. Ophis was just as expressive with her emotions. Minato didn't admit it out loud, but he thought it was endearing in a strange way, very much so.

Due to these reactions, Minato was forced to scrap quite a few of the ideas he had for the show and come up with something else. While Lilith was likely not the best source of advice to seek as far as entertaining Devils, Adult and Child alike, he wasn't sure if he would like the ideas of entertainment provided by any of his other residents.

Kunou had begged quite a few times to be able to come visit and spend time with Lilith, though Minato kept reminding her gently that the two would be spending time together here soon enough. While he didn't mind if his daughter had a friend to spend time with, Kunou was the Princess of her faction and thus not able to just up and leave Kyoto to spend time with her friend whenever she wanted.

Yasaka had expressed much guilt in having to deny her daughter her small requests to the point that even Minato felt like a scumbag for even gently telling her no. When she asked if she was a bad mother for denying her daughter such requests, Minato had quickly told her that no, she was not a bad mother in the least.

She was acting as a good mother should, as a matter of fact. Letting Kunou do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted would have resulted in her becoming spoiled, something he was thankful that Lilith was not becoming in the least. Lilith was hardly as rambunctious, hardheaded or energetic as Kunou, however, being as calm as her father at almost all points when not flustered about something or another.

Okay, Lilith was extremely spoiled, but the things she wanted were incredibly easy to grant. If his precious little Dragon wanted to sit in his lap while he did paperwork, he would let her rest while he went through the repetitive process of reading and signing.

If she wanted a snack, the two would take some time to roast marshmallows on the custom metal skewers Minato ordered for Ophis, Lilith and himself, able to handle the heat of a Dragons Flame without melting and ruining their treat.

If she wanted to swim, Minato would stop what he was doing to spend time with her and Ophis, wading through the water with the two clinging to his arms. He almost grew to love the sound of silence as much as Ophis and Lilith did, though the pulsing colors did give him a headache.

Minato preferred the churning dark of the Abyss, the shaded colors being so much less painful to look at.

Nyx had continued to provide him with advice on things relating to Divinity, allowing him to manage the prayers he received daily much easier than before. The requests for protection and healing kept coming, as did other types of prayers that were relatively new to him.

Quite a few new voices, those of middle aged women, had joined the chorus of requests and thanks Minato heard in the back of his head, a muted cacophony of chaos that only he could understand. They requested help in becoming pregnant, asking for his blessing in bringing life into the world.

Thanks to his domain relating to Fertility, Minato was able to grant them an increased chance of bearing a child, though he was not skilled enough to determine which gender the woman would be blessed with. Men asking for the ability to get their wives or significant others pregnant had come last, almost as if the men were far more shy to ask of such things, or even admit that perhaps they just weren't as virile as they thought they were.

Minato had been amused to hear a few familiar voices of teachers from Kuoh as those praying in his name. Some were desperate for help, however, having prayed to multiple gods that seemed to be unable to grant their requests.

Whether these Gods were dead or just not answering their prayers, Minato was unsure of, nor did he care. If someone needed help bringing another precious life into the world, and it was within his power to help, he would do so. The cost in energy to answer these prayers was far higher than that of daily protection, even higher than the probability manipulation that was the very minor blessing of good luck.

As such, however, the amount of energy he would gain back after the birth of those children would be exponentially higher than the other prayers he answered so far. None of the children born from his blessing will have any trace of his presence, however, leaving them to have normal lives despite his helping hand in their conception.

If Vali didn't stop praying to ask for help in finding the 'Thiccest', Minato was going to lose his cool. Up in here, up in here. Issei had finally seemed to grasp the severity of the situation when he, too, stopped praying for help in forming his own harem in the form of a blessing.

That was not a blessing Minato was going to be passing out to _anyone_.

Le Fay was extremely quick to get started writing as many Grimoires as she could, making sure to separate the many different types of magic she could and couldn't reveal. Many of the forbidden spells had to be locked away in a Grimoire that only opened for Minato after she competed it, a personal gift from her as thanks for taking the two Pendragons into his home.

It was a very personal thing, to share the types of spells that she did. Minato could tell that quite a few of the sorceries and hexes written down within the large, leather bound tome were personal creations of hers. Minato promised that he would begin to teach her his own personal style of magic as compensation for her dedicated work, something she expressed great interest in beginning to learn soon.

Arthur had done his best to fit in as well, falling into a schedule of training with Xenovia and later Kiba whenever the Knight of the Gremory Group finally finished his personal training with Irina and Issei for the day. While he did say he wouldn't teach either of the two his personal style, he did offer to teach them lesser known techniques that had been taught to him by foreign teachers during his travels, something the two were eager to learn.

Minato was glad that the two were getting along with the residents of the Velvet Tower and the Gremory Group so well, honestly. He was a bit worried that Rias and her group, not counting Koneko, would have been weary to find two Pendragons within his home, though it seems that the negative reputation the two earned during their membership of the Khaos Brigade was easily washed away when Minato vouched for them.

Minato was drawn from his thoughts of the last few weeks of his life and the many strange situations he found himself in, having finished going over the large stack of paperwork after two hours or so of sitting at his desk.

All that was left of his work was a single envelope, addressed to him from the Queen of the Carmilla faction.

The Carmilla faction had been contacted back after Minato finally got around to reading the letters sent by their Queen, something he was almost scared to do after such a long period of ignoring her letters.

Thankfully, she seemed perfectly okay with the fact that his response was so late, displaying nothing but politeness in her letter back to him after his first response.

' _Lord Thanatos,_

 _It does_ _Our cold heart well to see such a courteous reply to our latest letters. We apologize to hear that your schedule has prevented further communication, however We are understanding of thine woes._

 _Would it be too much of Us to ask of thee to allow an emissary between_ _our respective factions? We have heard much of your more recent exploits and wish to not get involved on the wrong side of the coming conflicts. The Tepes have grown bolder and bolder since the usurpation of King Tepes, their new_ _ruler_ _still mired in mystery. We can, however, admit to having evidence that the Tepes are working in collusion with this 'Khaos Brigade' as the terrorist ruffians ordain themselves,_ _if that might catch your attention?_

 _T'would be very good to hear from you soon, Our newest writing companion._

 _P,S, You have Our thanks for the beautiful bouquet of these strange crystal flowers, We have never seen such things in_ _O_ _ur long, long lives!_ _What manner of plant blooms at night and sleeps at day?_

 _P.S.S, This is how one uses a post script, yes?_ _Forgive Us, this would be Our first letter to someone that was as_ _kind as you are, considering your status. Most would have only responded to Our missives with nary a specter of compassion_ _for our prattling._

 _Queen Carmilla'_

Minato set the letter down on his desk and tapped his finger against his chin rhythmically, doing his best to think of his reply. He had done his best to be polite in his return letter, but not come off as someone who would bend over backwards to please others.

She seemed eager to speak, if the many different letters she had sent were to go by. It was almost strange, how the first letter was so cold and distant, yet the more she wrote to him and received no response, the more detailed the letters would become, giving him a glance into her mindset, so to speak.

Queen Carmilla was polite, but at the same time, relentless in the way she wrote. Minato had never met her, yet reading the letters she continued to send him over the span of months made him feel like he did. More than once, Minato had to read and re-read certain letters to understand that she was writing to Minato as if he were a living journal and not a person, revealing probably more than she should have into her thought process.

Perhaps it was the stress of her situation, perhaps it was loneliness, or perhaps it was to lull him into a sense of complacency or closeness with her, but Minato couldn't help but feel as if he were familiar with her in some form or fashion after reading seven or perhaps even eight different letters from the Queen.

She did not like waiting, despite acting like she did. From the tone of her last two letters, it was almost as if she were becoming bitter with her lack of replies. Thankfully, Minato seemed able to salvage the situation before it could have went south, going far enough to butter her up with a bouquet of the strange pale crystalline orchids that sprouted up around the religious site his Cult gathered at.

Minato made sure to reflect that it was not a gift given to woo, but to provide an apology. It seemed that she understood, as far as Minato could tell.

He did know of rumors of her past, including the fact that most, if not all of her lovers in the past six hundred years had been female, resulting in no heir being produced by her family since the schism between the Tepes and Carmilla families. It was none of his business what she did behind closed doors, so long as she didn't try to steal away one of those whom he had grown closed to.

That would just be _dirty_.

He didn't know about receiving an emissary, but made sure to reply in such a way that seemed he was at least open to the idea. Minato wasn't going to let a total stranger into his home, however, and thus requested a dossier on the potential members she wished to have acting as a messenger.

Minato was pleased that communications had been opened up with yet another faction, even one as small and reclusive as the Carmilla sect of Vampires. While their rather prudish ways of separating the higher class Vampires Lords from the common resurrected Vampire was quite backwards, it was not his place to decide what someone could and couldn't do to their own people in their own territory.

From what he could gather, however, the Carmilla were a bit closer integrated with their civilian population than the Tepes, the largest of their cities being in the southern country side of Styria, one of the two locations the Carmilla faction was prominent in. Unlike the Tepes faction, who maintained control of the land passed down from generation to generation within Romania, the Carmilla had proven to be willing to expand beyond their duchies and smaller demesnes.

Their fighting forces were all gathered at the border that separated the two factions from contact within Romania, experiencing only a minor skirmish once a week, as if the Tepes were testing the waters and trying to poke for a weakness. If he was to get the Carmilla faction on board with the Alliance, he would be more than willing to help out with their little border problem.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that he now knew the Tepes faction not only held the Holy Grail, but was working in collusion with his enemies. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Gasper had complained many times to Minato about the treatment he received at the hands of those associated with the Vladi family.

Either way, it was looking more and more like Minato was going to be taking a trip to central Europe some time during the summer holiday.

 **[EX]**

"Well, this is officially the last meeting of the Occult Research Club until the beginning of second semester. Good Job, team!" Azazel cheered with false happiness before his expression dropped into one that looked like it cared far less, "Or whatever. Okay, that being said, we have to talk before we all part ways for the time being."

Rias nodded her head graciously, obviously in no rush to leave back to the smaller tower she lived in with the rest of her Peerage and Issei's parents, "Sure, that shouldn't be an issue."

"We don't have to leave for a few hours, so I can stay for a few more moments." Minato agreed to remain behind for a bit longer with Asia, Bennia and Xenovia retaking their spots on the couch while Minato back down on one of the loveseats that had been added to the room. Koneko was quick to retake her spot in his lap, sticking her tongue out at Bennia who seemed the most upset of all of those sharing a relationship with Minato.

Asia and Xenovia didn't care, knowing that Koneko was extremely possessive of her position in his lap, though they wished they could do the same.

"Thanks, D, I appreciate it." Azazel nodded his head gratefully to Minato, knowing that the leader of the Protogenoi had quite a bit of work to do before he took his group to Hell for a small portion of the school holiday. "Now, since I have taken on the role of Teacher for the Gremory Peerage, it's been decided by Sirzechs that I get to follow you kiddies into Hell for your little summer vacation. Yay."

"That's... great?" Rias questioned more than asked, knowing that one way or another, her cute underlings would be forced to put up with the antics of the Fallen Angel more so than they already were. "We really, really appreciate it, Azazel-Sensei!"

"Good, because this shit is cutting into my fishing time, and that isn't cool at all! Now, I am only going to say this once, so listen close, alright?" Azazel questioned while leaning forward, his elbows propped up on the desk that Rias once used until it was taken over by the Governor General, "That shit show you saw with Azrael a few months back? I have a feeling that is going to be happening a lot more often. Perhaps not here, or even in Hell, but somewhere. Europe, central and eastern, have been attacked multiple times, and the damage reports keep coming."

Minato, though he was aware of this information, kept quiet and let the man speak, finding that Azazel's oration skills were far better than his own.

"Because of this, we have no choice but to be on high alert at all times. We have reason to believe that there is going to be a much larger attack here really soon. I'm not saying you should jump at every shadow, but watch your backs, yeah?" Azazel scratched the back of his head nervously, trying to express his concern for those he considered his students while retaining the image he had worked hard in crafting for himself.

Irina, Issei, Kiba and Gasper nodded their heads in unison while Koneko didn't bother acknowledging his words. Akeno and Rias were quick to voice their agreements as well, knowing from their contact with Azazel, Minato and Sirzechs that his words were true.

The performance of the Gremory Group left much to be desired, though it was hardly their fault that they were placed against such powerful people back to back, each one being further and further out of their league than the last.

Minato had done his best to give both the Sitri Group and Gremory Group as much of a fighting chance as he could, but there was hardly anything left he could teach them that wasn't considered 'forbidden' knowledge, or types of spells that he was trying to keep within his own faction.

Koneko and Sona were the only two Devils outside of Kuroka who would have access to spells, hexes, curses and sorceries that were created by Minato. The ability to wield mixed elements such as Dark Lightning was also limited to those who were associated with his faction, keeping the firepower of such spells out of the hands of beings that could potentially use those same spells against him.

The Devils were the first to admit that there were those among them that continued to support the Old Maou faction, thus keeping Minato from being as open with his knowledge as he would have been otherwise.

"I have faith that everyone in this room will survive whatever happens next. While you are not going to be expected to be seen on the front lines, your group has gained a bit too much 'airtime', so to speak, to keep you out of sight now. Live Strong and fight hard when the time comes." Minato spoke, addressing Rias as he did so. The redhead seemed thoughtful at his admission, her sea foam green eyes casting downwards as she mulled over his words.

Rias rose her gaze after a few moments, a fire lit in those orbs that Minato thought suited her. She was meant to be decisive, not unsure about herself.

"We won't back down from whatever comes for us, I promise you that." Rias declared, and her Peerage was quick to affirm their masters words.

Minato nodded his head after regarding her for a few moments as if agreeing with her sentiment before turning his attention to Koneko, who was burying her face in his chest while breathing rather heavily, sitting in his lap while being turning towards him. He didn't want to say anything in present company, but if she didn't stop trying to very subtly grind herself against him, they were going to have a majorly awkward issue on their hands and soon.


	44. Overture of Lucifaad

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **4**_ _ **4,**_ _ **Overture of Lucifaad**_

 _ **S**_ _ **orry for the extra long delay. I'm still not**_ _ **getting better, but I suppose I have delayed this chapter long enough, yeah? Sorry if it isn't as eventful as others, but it's time to start setting up what will lead through the second and final arcs of this story.**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

"Everyone ready?" Minato called out while looking over his shoulder, ready to open a corridor that would allow his large group to directly enter Hell. While taking the scenic route might have been preferable, Minato could honestly do without the five hour long train ride that the Gremory Peerage was to take the next day.

Koneko expressed displeasure in having to take the long train ride, but it was a tradition to the Gremory family and she wouldn't shirk her responsibilities to the two new Devils in her group. Issei and Irina had yet to be introduced properly to the Underworld, and this would be not only an educational trip for the two, but a reintroduction for the rest of the Peerage who had been gone from their true home for some time.

Minato supposed in some way, he was going home as well, but considering just how far from the Land of the Dead the Devil territory was, it was hardly the same thing.

Ophis and Lilith held either of his hands while Asia, Bennia and Xenovia stood close behind him, each excited for the few weeks they would be spending in the Underworld. Nyx, Kuroka and Le Fay were standing just behind the three followers and partners of Minato, each just as ready to see just what sort of area they would be staying in for the next week and a half.

Arthur had requested to stay behind and continue his training, having found himself spellbound with quite a few of the tomes located within the library. While Minato was initially distrustful of leaving him behind, Arthur was under an oath that would lead to his death should he chose to betray him, leaving Minato to eventually relent upon seeing the hopeful expression the usually composed man held.

Lucifer and Euclid would be staying behind to finish up the work in the laboratory, though Lucifer did promise to be on time for the taping of the Super Maou D Gang episode two.

It seems that the blond Father of Devils did not wish to get involved with the politics of the Devils once more, content with keeping his position as the Head Butler in the House of Death. When Minato questioned him further on the subject, Lucifer expounded more, explaining that should he have been revived by a Devil, he might have involved himself once more.

Now, however, Lucifer was very content with letting Sirzechs, Serafall, Ajuka and Falbium deal with the workload, as his current job was very fulfilling in its own way. The more he served Minato, the more he learned about where he went wrong in his own ruling, allowing him to cover his weaknesses not only in his character, but his abilities as well. The Son of the Morning had not slackened in his training, despite spending most of his days cleaning, cooking and educating Minato in the uses of technology thousands of years old.

Euclid was not very welcome amongst the Devils, nor was Kuroka, though Minato had gotten her to promise to remain out of sight as to not create even more reason for there to be tension between the Devils and Minato in return for allowing her to come along. Euclid was not going to receive the same preferential treatment, though he seemed to understand the logic behind Minato requesting him to stay behind and complied with grace.

The political climate of the Underworld had once more shifted after the Alliance had been formed, this time causing multiple different Pillar Families to go into overdrive as far as securing new strength went. Minato was doing his best to keep his relations with the Devils as pleasant as possible, but of course there was always the one bad apple that ruined the lot for him.

As it was, the Phenex family was no longer nearly as antagonistic with their political meandering, as Sirzechs so skillfully dubbed the way Lord Phenex attempted to throw his weight when it came to securing the Alliance between the Protogenoi and the Devils. The leader of the Family was still rather sore about his son getting so thoroughly trounced by Issei, despite the fact that Minato saved his life, resulting in a blacklisting for Minato and the rest of his Family as far as any purchasing power went towards the goods produced by the Phenex.

It was very, very annoying. Minato had no desire to have anything to do with the arrogant family any further after Minato attempted to open up communication with them to perhaps purchase a vial of tears. When all of his missives were returned to him, Minato understood just what was happening and discontinued any further attempts.

If they wanted to act in such a manner, perhaps Minato would be better off attempting to find a Phoenix in the wild. As far as he knew, the creatures were exceedingly rare due to how frequently they were hunted for their feathers, tears and blood. That said, they were not completely extinct, leaving Minato confident in his ability to later procure such a creature.

Minato was certainly not looking forward to having to brush elbows with stuck up Devils whose ego far outweighed their power, having been asked to attend multiple different gatherings already by both Sirzechs and surprisingly Serafall.

The boisterous woman that liked to dress as a Magical Girl continued to pester Minato and even Sona until he agreed, either by sending letters, magical communication circles or good, old fashioned text messages in all caps. The holographic images of the woman that would pop up and stalk him around his house were also quickly put an end to, but that didn't change the fact that she almost saw him in a very, very compromising position during his time spent in the sauna.

It was one of the most nerve wracking thirty minutes of Minato's life, having to deal with seeing her face, hearing her voice and knowing her antics on such a level. He honestly didn't know how Sona put up with such things on an almost daily basis.

Sona expressed much embarrassment for the actions of her sister, though Minato could hardly fault her for such things. The younger sister should not suffer for the sins of the elder, no matter how annoying she was.

Apparently, one of her biggest fears was her sister running off any would be suitor due to her rather strange personality and obsessive habits of stalking Sona, likely a coping mechanism from her time fighting in the Civil War between the Old Maou and the current Devil government.

Moving to Japan was more to get away from Serafall and her parents than it was to follow Rias, apparently. Minato did not blame her in the least.

Seeing Asia, Bennia and Xenovia nod their hands from his peripheral, Minato pulled himself from his thoughts of the Sitri sisters and allowed a large corridor to spring from the ground before sliding open as if it were an elevator door.

The large gathering watched as the corridor with the ability to bypass the barriers separating the Surface World from the Underworld opened up before them. It had become a common occurrence, but considering the standard usage of teleportation circles,

The large group stepped through the large doorway, ignoring the creeping chill that clung to their skin each time they traversed the darkness. Before the large group was what may as well have been classified as a castle, something that Minato was not expecting to find when he locked onto the location that Sirzechs said was now his to use as he saw fit.

Honestly, considering the sheer opulence that the Devils enjoyed, Minato should have at least expected something similar as a gift from Sirzechs. He could call Sirzechs and complain, but Minato knew that complaining about being given a castle in Hell would be rather foolish.

Of course, the upkeep of having such a large home was going to be preposterous, leaving Minato to come to a startling conclusion. He was going to have to start hiring maids if he wanted to keep the castle free from dust and build up unless he crafted a new sealing matrix, something he couldn't really afford without starting to get perilously close to having his monthly expenditures become more than a quarter of his monthly income.

That was not good at all. As much as he disliked it, money was necessary so long as he continued to live on either the Surface or in Hell, though not nearly as much for the later. Devils and Fallen alike had a monetary system that Minato was mostly able to bypass due to his many different connections. Power greased hands better than any form of money, as he had learned quickly, and having fallback plans and contingencies in place was less strenuous than it should have been otherwise.

Despite that, however, his strength was useless amongst the mundane due to the non-disclosure that was agreed upon by the many different factions. Being able to manipulate the elements was great and all, but that hardly helped him pay for the things needed to keep his growing group above water.

Minato began to think of ways to hasten his plans of opening businesses in the Human world and in Hell once more, making a mental note to scope out potential locations and buildings he could use for the many operations he wanted to get started.

The large, cathedral like building had been recently renovated, replacing quite a bit of the external masonry. Minato could tell that most of the surrounding wall and the large metal bars that kept outsiders from encroaching into the territory were brand new.

Planted all along the grounds were strange trees that grew normally from the base upwards until they started to branch out. Each of the branches were curled around what seemed to be a large orb in the center of each of the trees in place of where the leaves were usually located.

'What are these supposed to be?' Minato thought to himself as he eyed the strange trees for a few more moments before turning his gaze back to the landscape around them. The grass growing along his lawn was a light, mint green color while much of the foliage around were shaded in almost pastel colors.

It was almost plastic looking, if Minato was honest. Perhaps it was just the foliage or just the way the strange plants grew, but Minato had an inkling that they were all created in a laboratory.

"This is... nice." Minato eventually stated, his silver eyes widening slightly as he looked upwards, arching his back to get a better look. Nyx let loose a giggle as she sauntered up behind her son, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as if supporting him so he didn't fall backwards. He felt Ophis and Lilith shift about as they studied the large building, both seemingly neither impressed nor unimpressed by the grand reconstruction of what seemed to be ripped straight from the pages of history.

"Now this is a home, my child." Nyx cooed, her purple stained lips spreading into a beautiful smile, "One much more fitting of our stature."

Minato didn't agree or disagree, instead finding himself more concerned with another subject all together.

'How am I going to navigate this place...?'

As he glanced over his shoulder, he could tell each of those gathered were having similar thoughts.

"Let us stick together until we have a firm grasp on the layout, alright? Just because we are in friendly territory does not mean we can let our guards down." Minato called out, making sure that the girls understood that he wished for them to remain on alert. Bennia nodded her head while her ever faithful, floating scythe that seemed to answer as well in the form of three flashes.

Asia and Xenovia shared a quick look before they nodded as one, moving closer to one another as they did so. Xenovia had become extremely protective of Asia over the past few months to the point that she could be considered the active bodyguard of the High Priestess, despite her duties to the Sable Church laying elsewhere.

Kuroka leaned over as she passed and whispered breathlessly in his ear, something that caused him to duck his head to try and hide the heavy blush that spread across his face. Minato shook his head in the negative, causing Kuroka to pout while letting out a small whine of disappointment.

Ophis shot Kuroka a curious glance, causing the Nekoshou to give the petite Dragon God a saucy wink before sauntering forward, sashaying her hips to emphasize her waist, an obvious attempt to gather Minato's attention.

When Asia and Xenovia ran ahead of him and seemed to block his vision of her on purpose, Minato knew his next few days were going to likely be hell.

"Papa... why are they walking like that?" Lilith questioned curiously, tilting her head to the side as she noticed the three walking in a similar fashion, "Are they hurt?"

"They are competing." Minato eventually stated after amending his words in his head a few times, "For attention."

"Ah..." Lilith murmured, nodding her head as if she understood completely, "If... I walk like that, will I get attention?"

Minato sputtered and shook his head rapidly, "No, dearest, you do not have to walk like that. I would like it if you didn't."

Lilith furrowed her brows as she moved her eyes from the hips of Kuroka and up at her father, "But she has your attention, you haven't moved your eyes. _I_ want your attention."

The sputtering grew, as did the feeling of shame and extreme discomfort in his chest. "You have my attention, darling. How about we go for ice cream?"

The daughter of Minato and Ophis furrowed her brows even further, almost making her appear to be pouting before she nodded her head sullenly, the small top hat that looked like his own not moving from its position, despite looking as if it were only resting atop her head. "Okay, Papa."

Ophis watched the interaction between Lilith and Minato with a keen eye, letting her daughter do the speaking for her. While she did not say as much, Ophis was of the same mindset. She didn't mind others spending time with him, but she had this strange feeling of what she could only describe as _longing_ that only went away when she was in _his_ presence. That longing often turned to possessiveness, something she would selfishly give into more often than not.

The others that sought his attention seemed to understand the pecking order, though Ophis knew without a shadow of a doubt that the competition was heating up. Her position could be usurped, and Ophis was loath to lose her place by his side.

Holding hands with him, watching him sleep, listening to him breath... everything about him had been studied and memorized to the point that she could say she knew Minato like the back of her hand, better than she knew even herself. Minato watching had become her hobby, her desire, her drive. Touching his skin, feeling his hair, the sound of his heart beating in his chest, everything about him made her insides ache and feel strange.

It was as if little creatures were bouncing in her stomach region whenever she thought about him, which was almost constantly. His face and voice had become integral to her thoughts. Ophis had even gone back to a portion of the Dimensional Gap that was free of Great Red and Cao Cao, just to see how returning to her home would feel.

It was no longer her home. It didn't call to her or welcome her into its silent embrace once more. Ironically, the Void felt empty, lacking anything outside of a deep, depressing silence as her only companion.

Lilith, the scion born as her replacement, had become another constant in her life, someone who was also always on her mind. Family had become the only thing Ophis could think about. Her Family, and being close to Minato and Lilith. If the entire world came crashing down and all life went extinct, Ophis highly doubted she would care, so long as Minato and Lilith remained by her side.

Her family was all she cared about anymore.

 **[EX]**

Lucifaad was busting with activity, ranging from paperboys advertising the local rags and street vendors selling fruits grown in Hell. As the old Capital of the Devil territory, the city was not only ancient, but extremely well constructed.

Designed to stand the test of time, many of the buildings in the downtown area were more baroque in style than modern, giving the city an even more exotic feeling than Minato was honestly expecting from a city built by Devils.

The civilians seemed more keen on minding their own business than eyeballing Minato as he casually walked down the sidewalk with Lilith and Ophis still holding either of his hands. After sending Sirzechs a text, Minato was given directions to take the two to Lucifaad for ice cream, as the city boasted one of the largest shops with flavors that humans couldn't even imagine, or legally sell.

Minato wasn't sure just what kinds of flavors those would be and honestly didn't want to.

It took four hours of searching and exploring before Minato was confident enough in the security of his 'Castle' to leave his followers and mother alone to take Lilith and Ophis out for a small trip. Each of the Dragon God's were acting in a strange manner, invading his personal space far more than usual for the two and not letting him from their sight for longer than a few minutes before they came looking for him.

It was like the strange relationship between Ophis and Minato had been flipped, leading to the Dragon God being the one to take care of Minato. It was incredibly strange being fed by Ophis after she refused to let him eat his ice cream by himself.

"Say... ah." Ophis muttered patiently, holding the spoon full of vanilla ice cream in front of Minato's face, who was staring at the Dragon God as if she had lost her mind.

"I'm supposed to-" Minato was cut off from explaining to Ophis that it was he who was supposed be feeding her when she shoved the spoon into his mouth, forcing him to quiet down and enjoy the experience for what it was.

The mutterings of Lilith, who also held her spoon towards her father, were hardly putting his mind at ease. There was something very strange going on with the two, and Minato wanted to get to the bottom of things.

"You two are being very... forward." Minato commented before he took the bite of ice cream offered to him by his daughter, "It is unlike you."

Ophis nodded her head but didn't seem like she would elaborate, but Lilith had no such compulsion to remain silent. "We... want to see you, more."

"I see." Minato murmured, feeling as if he was just called the worlds worst dad. While he did his best to spend as much time as he could with his precious little Dragon and her mother, it seems that it was not enough. Either that, or his daughter was starting to display signs of an obsessive personality. "I am sorry, Lilith. I will try to do better."

"You... better." Lilith said plainly, leaving absolutely no room for argument with the tiny being. When Minato sent an incredulous look to Ophis, he could tell that she was of the same mindset with the strange look she was giving him.

It was as if she were sizing him up once more, though the look had a bit of heat to it. Minato tested a theory that had formed by moving his hand to the right slightly, watching from the corner of his eyes as both Lilith and Ophis snapped their attention to his movement for a split second before their attention was brought back to his face.

Accepting another spoon of ice cream from Ophis, Minato began to take notice of those around him and the colorful scheme of the place. In all honesty, everything that Minato had seen of Hell was far better than he would have imagined two years ago.

The pedestrians were capable of living normal lives, or as normal of a life one could live as a Devil. Each Devil seemed to have a rather unique taste, tailored to promote individuality while at the same time promoting a sort of unity between those that did not belong to one of the Seventy Two Pillars.

Those that served Lilith and Ophis their rather extreme cones of ice cream had large smiles on their faces, genuine smiles. They seemed to enjoy their lot in life, and despite being a race born into excessive amounts of Sin, the Devils maintained a civil society.

It was heartening to see, as it gave Minato hope to see it grow even more peaceful after everything was said and done. While the number of Fallen Angels present within the crowds were next to none, Minato could feel the presence of darkened light within the sea of slightly twisted and wild darkness of the Devils.

Turning his attention back to being force fed ice cream by two of the beings he had grown closest to, Minato relished the moment of peace and the company he could share it with. Lilith seemed incredibly content as she leaned back in her seat, satisfied with the amount of ice cream she had made her father consume. She was worried that he didn't eat enough, considering he spent most of his time during breakfast and dinner feeding both her and her mother.

The daughter of Minato and Ophis opened her mouth wide and consumed an entire scoop of vanilla in one bite, not even bothering to pretend to let it melt before it was on its way into the bottomless pit that was her stomach.

Minato reached out with a napkin and removed the large amount of vanilla dripping from the corner of her mouth, only for her to grab a napkin and do the same for him.

"Ah... better." Lilith murmured before nodding her head.

The three enjoyed quite a few bowls of ice cream before Minato motioned for them to leave, a massive cone of each flavor held in either of their free hands while they held on to Minato's once more.

Minato found himself relaxed as the three blended into the crowd of Devils, Lilith and Ophis falling into step with him as they steadily devoured their ice cream as if it were going out of style.

 **[EX]**

"Mom... Momma. Please, why?" Minato questioned in a strained voice as Nyx once more wrapped herself around his shoulders, doing her best to invade his personal space as she helped fix his shirt. When she attempted to help tuck the shirt in, Minato spun on his heel and gave the woman an unimpressed look.

When she opened her mouth to admonish him for messing up his clothing again, Minato caught a faint whiff of alcohol on her breath. The light dusting of blush that covered her face was another sign that perhaps she was already inebriated, something that was only common when she was about to sleep.

"Hush and let your momma help." Nyx was having none of his protesting, grabbing him around the shoulders to spin him back around before retaking her position leaning over his shoulder. When Minato quickly tucked his shirt in and slipped his belt on, she gave him an annoyed huff before wrapping her arms around his stomach region and pulling him upwards and towards her. Minato found himself being manhandled once more, though he gave up his struggling and let her do as she wanted.

Being treated as an oversized doll by Nyx was becoming a frequent occurrence, whether it be from her insisting on cuddling or picking out his clothing. Most of the time, he quite agreed with her taste, though the one time she attempted to get him to wear a tunic crossed the line. As it was, Victorian styled clothing was fine as far as dealing with the supernatural went, but more modern clothing was much easier to blend in with than otherwise when mingling with humanity than older fashions.

"You have always been so hard headed." Nyx murmured more to herself than to him, her voice almost unsure as she began to rock his limp body to and fro, "I suppose you get it from me."

"I am not hard headed." Minato attempted to defend himself, though the small giggle that escaped her lips let him know that his protest was met with disbelief. "I'm not."

"Yes, you are." Nyx gave him a deadpan response more suited to Ophis or Lilith than herself, "One of the most hard headed in the world."

"... I am going to be late." Minato attempted to change the subject after a few moments of more swaying, "Seriously."

Nyx eventually relented, allowing Minato to regain his footing to finish gathering his clothing. Tonight he would be dining with Sirzechs along with a few other well known Devils, including the Emperor of the Rating Games, Diehauser Belial and Ajuka Beelzebub.

While Minato was less than interested in the idle chat they would likely be exchanging or the barely concealed barbs, he was more looking forward to hearing what the many loose-lipped Devils had to say after they have had a few drinks.

The power of information was something Minato understood very well, thus consigning himself to his fate of having to mingle with beings that would likely stab their brothers and sisters in the back just for a chance to rise in the ranks of society.

"You look fine, dear." Nyx cooed after seeing him give a sour expression upon tugging at his jacket, "Trust me."

Minato nodded his head after a few moments before turning to leave the walk in closet that now had quite a few of his many articles of clothing hung up and stored away, having returned home to grab a few of his nicer suits after realizing that he only brought along informal clothing.

Instead of wearing velvet blue, Minato had forgone most of his colorful clothing for something a bit more simple black long coat, waistcoat and pant combination with a white dress shirt and a large, black bow-tie.

Grabbing his cane and top hat, Minato gave himself another glance in the mirror before sighing deeply while sagging his shoulders. "Why did Lilith ask me to wear a top hat in the first place? Where did she learn of them?"

"That would be my fault." Nyx finally admitted sheepishly, "I was looking through a book to pick out a dress design for her when we saw one. When she asked for one, I asked Asia to make her a small one that could be held in place by a bow..."

"I see..." Minato murmured, thinking over what he just heard before nodding his head. If his daughter wanted him to wear the hat so that the two of them could match, then he was not going to say no.

As a matter of fact, just knowing the reasoning made him like his hat even more.

 **[EX]**

The party was in full swing by the time Minato arrived, neither arriving too soon to seem interested, nor too late to be insulting. Of course, understanding such things was drilled into his skull by Mitsuru, only reinforced by Lucifer and Nyx with their continual reminders and lessons. Minato could dance with the best, and his tongue was as silver as his eyes despite his lack of desire to use either set of skills to his advantage.

He was approached by Grayfia once more, though this time she seemed far less stern than before, if the way her expression slightly lightened when she made eye contact with him was anything to go by.

"Thanatos-Dono, it is good to see you again. Have you been well?" Grayfia questioned after bowing lightly in his direction. It was not enough to show deference, but a good bit more than required to formally greet someone, and certainly the most respectful she had been towards him yet.

Minato had to resist the urge to question her strange increase in formality before he could greet her back. "It is good to see you as well, Grayfia. I have been well, and yourself?"

The silver haired wife and maid of Sirzechs seemed to consider her answer before she nodded her head as if it answered his question. "As well as can be expected. If you would come this way, Lucifer-Sama, Belial-Dono and Leviathan-Dono are waiting."

Minato nodded gratefully before following behind the gray haired Devil, his gait steady as his cane continued to rap against the marble flooring. Many of those gathered into crowds gave him furtive glances before attempting to seem aloof to his presence, but Minato could easily tell their intentions.

If they wished to emulate him in an attempt to seem more approachable, he wasn't going to tell them otherwise. It was a large improvement from the normal pretentiousness he could practically sense as its own individual emotion rather than a state of mind.

Sirzechs was almost bouncing in his seat like an overexcited child by the time Grayfia and Minato finally arrived at the large table that the current Lucifer and his guests rested at, a beaming smile on his face as if the holidays had come early.

"Finally! I've been waiting for an hour for you to show up!" Sirzechs greeted as he rose from his seat, extending his hand for Minato to take as he approached the chair to the crimson haired Devils left.

Minato grasped the offered hand firmly, giving Sirzechs the handshake he was looking for. A piece of paper was slipped from the palm of Sirzechs and into that of Minato easily enough with the exchange, letting Minato know that something was already amiss with the meeting about to be held.

A sense of negative emotion, something akin to Anger and Sadness mixed into one seemed to roil from the body of Diehauser, though the cheerful visage the man maintained would have fooled even the best of those capable of reading a persons body language.

From the glances Sirzechs sent his way, along with the desperate look he gave Minato after the two motioned to sit down also spoke volumes of just what type of little gathering the leader of the Protogenoi found himself attending.

'Well, that didn't take long at all.' Minato thought to himself ruefully as he sent the small letter in his hand a quick glance.

 _'Plan has moved forward. Diehauser wants in.'_

Minato schooled his features into his normal apathetic visage and leaned back in his seat casually, covering the very small amount of anxiety fluttering in his stomach like an unwelcome guest trapped in a cellar. While wanting to remain as inconspicuous as possible as he let the many different conversations taking place within the massive hall began to filter through his mind, Minato only reigned in the more terrible traits of his energy while letting the bare minimum saturate the area around him.

It was amusing the first time he was approached by a no name Devil trying to act haughty but annoying by the third such occurrence. If the weaker beings wished to approach and make his night that much more unbearable, then it was only fair that he made speaking with him at least just as unbearable as their voices.

"Refreshments, Thanatos-Dono?" Grayfia pipped up, her cool voice easily reaching his ears despite the softness in which she spoke. Upon a tray balanced on her palm was an array of bubbling drinks, some of which made even Minato nervous, despite his iron stomach and high tolerance for some of the finer beverages.

"Thank you, Grayfia, this is wonderful." Minato made sure to express his gratitude as he took a slim glass of rose colored champagne, finding that it was the more subdued and less reactive than the rest.

'What the hell are you thinking, Sirzechs?' Minato thought to himself as he stared into the liquid, ignoring the curious glance Ajuka and Serafall were sending the three. Sirzechs and Grayfia shared a small look as well before the lover of the current Lucifer once more excused herself from the table.

"I apologize, I do not believe we have met yet." Minato decided to cut through the chitchat after taking a cursory sniff and sip of his drink, wanting to get directly to the heart of the issue, "I am... Thanatos, though I prefer to be addressed as Minato if at all possible."

Minato extended his hand for the Emperor to shake after turning to face the man, which he gladly did. The negative emotions he felt coming from the current head of the Belial family lessened considerably upon being addressed so amicably, perhaps indicating that the man was a bit more laid back than the other Heads of the Pillar Families.

"The pleasure is mine, Minato-Dono. Sirzechs-Sama has spoken very highly of you." The grey haired Devil had a smooth voice, one that lacked any form of indication as to his thoughts, likely a result of living for a thousand years and facing combat on an almost weekly basis. "I have been looking very forward to meeting you myself after stumbling across the... fan site dedicated to you."

"Anything that appears on that site is not moderated by myself, so I apologize for any... content the users might have posted." Minato did his best to keep the strange feeling of shame from his voice, knowing that many of his followers and fans were a bit zealous, "They mean well... in a way."

"Ha! They are as tame as kittens compared to a few of the more loyal followers I seem to have accrued, I assure you!" Diehauser let out a throaty chuckle as he waved away any form of discomfort Minato might have felt, seemingly victim of the same types of nonsense, "Honestly, I find it amusing that my place as most favored of the Devil-Net has been taken so quickly, and by an outsider no less!"

Minato gave the man an amused look as he took another drink, trying to ease into a comfortable conversation long enough to propose his 'offer' without making it seem forced. "Alas, I fear that is the nature of the business we find ourselves in." Minato offered up, knowing that Diehauser was intelligent enough to understand that Minato was willing to 'play ball'.

"Sadly, that is the case." The Emperor of the Rating Games shrugged his shoulders, showing that while it bothered him on some level, there was nothing he could do about it.

"There is always room for someone such as yourself, if you would be interested in a role?" Minato made sure to phrase the proposition in a way that sounded like a roundabout recruitment and not an acceptance of alliance proposed by the Belial Head.

"Oh? You don't fear that I might become more popular than you on your own show?" Belial questioned, a small grin on his face showing that the question wasn't meant to be taken seriously.

Minato took it seriously. "If that would be the case, would you please accept my proposition? It would be much appreciated."

Diehauser pretended to ponder the offer for a few moments before he nodded his head in the affirmative. "Sure, I think that would be the best thing to happen to me in a long, long time..."

The way his grey eyes dulled and gazed further than the hall was long reminded Minato of the small file that was given to him a few days after accepting responsibility to Kuoh. He had a sinking feeling that it was the reason behind the behavior of the number one Devil in the Rating Games.

'Sirzechs, you are going to owe me more than a small sum of money for this one...' Minato thought to himself as he turned his attention away from the Belial, taking another draft from the flute of pink liquid.

The night seemed to drag on for longer than Minato cared to admit, though the large sum of information the loose lipped crowd of Devils let loose during their mingling made it worth his while. Minato did his best to remain absolutely alert, however, his senses opened up wide as he did allow the very miniscule amount of power roiling through his veins to permeate the air twenty feet around him.

This small exposure of Aura, as Minato dubbed the technique he was currently using, prevented the weaker willed Devils from approaching him while reminding those that were seated with him that despite his mostly docile nature, he was still the biggest predator in the room.

No one tried to contest the small display of power, finding that the presence of Minato was more welcomed than not, especially after the many natures of his power have surfaced outside of his main Domain.

The large gathering of families was dwindling before he finally decided to excuse himself, Ajuka and Diehauser each rising with him. Minato eyeballed them wearily as they gave him an expectant look before he relented, tilting his head to the left in an indication for the two to follow him.

"I need to be returning home for the night, I'm afraid. Thank you for having me, Lucifer-Dono, this was a nice change of pace." Minato did his best to sugarcoat his words, something that was apparently obvious due to the flat look Sirzechs was giving him.

"I thank you for coming, Thanatos-Dono. I am sure I will be seeing you bright and early, so rest well." Sirzechs offered after rising as well and grasping the gloved hand of Minato once more. "Be careful." The warning was almost completely inaudible, Sirzechs having drawn Minato in close for a 'back clap' as more modern humans have begun to do.

Minato didn't respond verbally, instead giving the crimson haired Devil a grateful look before turning to depart. Grayfia followed Diehauser, Minato and Ajuka to the end of the Hall before bowing to the three, not speaking up. A large, pitch black door rose from the ground and opened widely, allowing the three to traverse the churning blackness to reach their destination.

As the two doors closed behind him, Minato once more heard a warning, this one more heartfelt than before.

Grayfia stared at the spot the three disappeared from before turning and beginning her walk back to Sirzechs, ignoring the less important guests that milled through the Hall still. Her gait was more subdued than before, and if one looked closely, they could almost see a small frown on the mostly schooled face of the silver haired Queen.

 **[EX]**

"So what can I help you with, Ajuka?" Minato questioned as the three stopped walking soon after the doors snapped shut behind them, trapping the two Devils in the Abyss with Minato.

"Cut the shit and I will too." Ajuka spoke evenly, his tone perfectly schooled as he stared down at the silver eyed Primordial, "Diehauser isn't the only one who wants in."

Minato didn't speak for a few moments, instead sizing up the two standing before him.

"Are you sure of what you are asking?" Minato eventually relented, hoping to test the two Devils responses before accepting the rather firm requests.

"Of course. Do not think that the undertones of your little propaganda piece aren't obvious to those who know what to look for." Ajuka seemed insulted that Minato even had to ask, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"And you, Diehauser? Do you know exactly what you are asking?"

"All I want are answers. You provide me those answers, and I'll eat the scum from the bottom of your shoes if I must." The tone in which the Emperor spoke let Minato know that he was being dead serious.

Minato sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose as he thought about how to address the two men further.

Ajuka was hyper-intelligent, so much so that it was terrifying. While he wasn't a direct threat on the scale of strength, Minato had no doubts that if he were to try and turn the man away now, things would go very south, very quickly.

Minato let loose an expletive loose under his breath before rolling his shoulders, standing straighter than before while the sound of leather grinding together filled the void, his grip on his cane tightening even further.

"I will say this only once, so please, listen carefully." Minato began, causing the two to give him their utmost attention. He waited only a second more before beginning once more, his silver gaze glowing heavily as he stared them down further.

"You two are trusted by Sirzechs, but you are not trusted by myself. If I feel, for any reason, that you are a threat to _my_ end goal, you will be expunged from the annals of time and any being sharing your genetic information will suffer the same fate. Period." Minato did not wait for the two to speak, instead turning and opening a doorway to allow the three passage into his new home in Hell. "Now welcome to the Revolution, I hope you enjoy your stay."


	45. The Sable

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **4**_ _ **5,**_ _ **The Sable**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 _I wont really be able to tell you when I will be and will not be releasing chapters. Thats all I can say about that, Chu._

 _Thank you for the kind reviews, I hope to continue writing this until the end, and hopefully another set a few months after the ending of Exalted._

 **[EX]**

Ajuka and Diehauser shared a weary look between themselves before following Minato from the vast expanse of churning dark, not daring to look at their surroundings too much as vaguely humanoid shapes began to follow closely behind the two.

Diehauser was very well aware that he was walking head first into something that could lead to his death, but his burning need to know the truth had driven him into a corner. The being leading him through the massive expanse of black was the only one who could get the information he sought without being forced to betray his remaining kith and kin.

The current Beelzebub was mostly nonplussed by his surrounding, having been told by Sirzechs what to expect should he ever find himself in the strange space that existed inside and just outside of every realm connected to the Dimensional Gap. The scientist within him was screaming to know more while the more rational side of his mind, the one that allowed him to survive as long as he had, was telling him to mind his hands and withhold from collecting any samples from the native environment.

"Where are we going?" Ajuka finally questioned after a few minutes of walking in relative silence, a heavy weight starting to set upon his shoulders the longer the three continued to walk. The feeling of being watched had grown tremendously to the point that he could have sworn he felt someones breath on the back of his neck. Turning his head slightly, he was surprised to see Diehauser walking a bit closer than he probably should have. Of course, the strange, lumbering beings that populated the Abyss were not quite fearsome, their bodies being immaterial and their wide, circular white eyes being vacant of any sentience.

One being stood out among the rest, being in the shape of a dragon yet without holding any of the energy a dragon should. Stumbling around on two large back legs and two clawed hands at the joint of it's wings, it was closer to a wyvern than any other draconian species. Despite the fact that it was shaped differently than its brethren, they were all one in the same.

Mere fragments of the nigh limitless darkness that dwelled within Death. No matter what he called himself in whichever time period he became active, there was only one fitting designation for the being guiding him. This was the first time that Ajuka had seen beings such as these, and it left a terrible, sinking feeling where his stomach should have been.

Death had created life, or at the very least half-life. The more Ajuka studied the feeling surrounding him, the more closely it began to resemble the feeling of the Soul.

Ajuka stopped himself, almost physically restrained himself from questioning just what Minato was attempting to do, especially considering the answer was obvious. It was the first steps at recreating a sentient being, the Soul being the absolute base for all life to exist.

The only reason Ajuka could think of for creating such beings, vacant of any will to fight, and in such a large number... They were left only half complete on purpose. There was an undercurrent that surged around the emptiness and ruins around them that tied the thousands of beings that crawled from the crevices and hobbled from behind crumbling homes.

Death was directly guiding them all as puppets on a string. The small smile that appeared on his face upon receiving a sharp look from Ajuka let the Maou know his hypothesis was correct. The many lumbering beings began to disperse as the undercurrent connecting them all ceased, allowing them to go back to their aimless wandering. The only being that continued to follow was the rather large Wyvern shadow, acting as if it were a puppy wanting its owners attention.

"I take it Sirzechs has instructed you to give me a hard time?" Ajuka questioned with a tilted brow, running a hand through his green locks. His facial expression melted from stony and serious to a more lighthearted look, certainly taking years off of his visage.

Minato nodded his head but remained silent, instead focusing on paying attention to his darker than black surroundings. Stretching his left hand out, he began to lightly pat the snout of the rambunctious being, proving to Ajuka that despite their appearance, the beings were, in fact, tangible.

Ajuka wanted to ask again but understood that he would get the answers to his questions in due time.

The current Beelzebub allowed a bit of distance to form between himself and the two in front of him, instead moving closer to the ruined homes to his left to study them closer. A small sign hung from the window frames of a two story house that was completely missing its roof, the writing etched into the surface of the sign almost undecipherable due to the damage and sheer age of the slab of wood. The closer Diehauser looked at the sign, however, the more he was able to understand.

"This is the language of the Demons." Ajuka murmured aloud as he pulled a camera-like device from the large pockets of his lab coat, taking multiple pictures of the blackened buildings and strange landscape around him.

Ajuka did his best to document the strange scene around him before catching up with Minato and Diehauser, who were speaking softly between themselves as they continued to walk in a forward direction past the ruined village.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Diehauser questioned in a strained voice, his face schooled into a grimace as if he sucked on the worlds most sour lemon, "Without a shadow of a doubt?"

"Michael and Gabriel would be willing to confirm it for me if I ask nicely enough." Minato assured the man, making sure that he kept his voice as calm as he could. The moment Minato noticed the slight distance between Ajuka and Diehauser, he gave the silver haired Emperor the information he was likely looking for, having read over the case file for the previous 'Ruler' of Kuoh just a few nights before his vacation to Hell.

Diehauser just nodded his head in acceptance, not speaking any further as he withdrew into his mind to contemplate the information provided him. Ajuka glanced between the two before deciding it was none of his business, despite how curious he was.

Finally, after walking for what seemed to be close to an hour, the three arrived at their destination without further conversation. Before them, a crumbling castle that stretched far into the sky was present, scorch marks and scarring from electrical damage present on its once proud walls. Torn and broken battlements littered the landscape, though new constructions were popping up in the distance as the trio drew closer to the overly intimidating structure.

Tattered flags wafted in a non-existent breeze, displaying the sigil once associated with a being that Hell has all but forgotten, despite how often his name is used as a title.

"Is... is this what I think it is?" Ajuka stammered out upon seeing the massive crest hanging from the gently wafting banners, "How is this..."

"You are correct in your assumption, Ajuka. This was the Capital of Hell before Lucifer descended and waged his conquest." Minato continued walking forward across the lowered bridge carved out of ancient wood, not once stopping as he walked towards the large castle gates. The metal structure began to rumble before rising slowly when he stopped a few feet from the entrance before looking over his shoulder at Ajuka and Diehauser. "You two are in for a history lesson that the world has done their best to forget."

Neither Devil spoke further, instead doing their best to engrave the scene before them into their mind. As the three stepped forth past the massive gates, they came slamming down behind them, preventing anyone else from proceeding into the ancient castle besides those walking with Minato.

"Why does it answer to you?" Ajuka demanded to know after watching the gates slam shut behind him, having spun on his heel the moment he felt the air being pushed downwards, "How? You are not a Devil nor Demon?"

Minato eyed the man for a few moments before he decided that it would be better to keep the information to himself for the time being. "That is for me to know, and for you to guess."

Ajuka didn't appreciate how vague Minato was being, but understood that information was not free, especially not information pertaining to the birth of the Devil race and the downfall of Demon kind.

"Come, this is the safest place to have this discussion." Minato gestured for them to continue forth on their path, deep into the depths of one of the most sought after locations previously located in Hell.

If either Devil thought the population of shadow beings outside of the walls was dense, they were sadly mistaken. Every inch of the massive structure was crawling with activity, the beings within the castle displaying a much higher level of intelligence than those outside. There were obvious genders assigned to the beings, some with flowing 'hair' while others kept the shadows spilling from their crown shorter.

The more Ajuka saw, the more he began to hypothesis.

Much more heavily armed beings were seen patrolling the hallways to either the left and right as the trio took the central path towards the center of the battlements, wielding claymores, massive spears and broadsword and shield combinations. From the looks of how attentive the beings were that hid beneath the wicked armor forged of tarnished alloys, they were ready for a siege to befall the castle at any moment, despite how isolated it was from the rest of the many worlds that existed parallel to the Abyss.

Taking what he knew from how such a building could even reside in the dimension so closely associated with Death, previously controlled by the Greek Chthonian Erebus, Ajuka began to piece together just what Minato planned to do in the near future.

"Where do you plan on dropping this castle?" Ajuka questioned lightly, "Because that is the only logical reason you would keep an active army in such a place."

Minato gave the Devil an appreciative look, showing how pleased he was with Ajuka guessing his plan as quickly as he had. "Right on the head of Hades, if possible. This will act as my Trojan Horse and forward operations the moment I initiate my first volley."

Diehauser was pulled from his thoughts for a moment, if only to offer his own opinion. "Would it be wise to use an ancient castle in such a way?"

"What else good is it doing me here?" Minato questioned over his shoulder, giving the grey haired Devil a questioning look, "Satan used this place for far worse than what I am about to do with it, I assure you."

Ajuka shook his head and did his best to not question the sanity of the being currently leading them through one of the oldest strongholds in history. He really did.

Diehauser began to imagine how such a tactic would work and began to understand the reasoning behind its invention. The border between Hell and the Land of the Dead had been extremely active as of late, crawling with Grim Reapers still loyal to Hades and what seemed to be Jackals forced into slavery by Osiris after the sacking of Anubis.

Breaching such a large standing force would take far too many lives and resources to occur, leaving for an internal incursion to be the only answer. Usually, it would take far too much power for a single individual to drop a structure the size of the one they currently resided in even five feet from its current location, let alone through dimensions.

Diehauser highly doubted Minato had such a limitation, especially after displaying time and time again in the past that he could do such things and more. While the many gathered forces seemed to be enough for a surprise attack, it was hardly enough to put a lasting dent into the armies of Hades and Osiris.

"Should you keep your word, you will have my sword for this battle." Diehauser eventually stated as the three strode passed two massive doors that began to shut behind them, sealing them into one of the most secure areas Minato currently had access to.

Two very pale and shaken Devils left an hour later, leaving Minato to stew on what was to come to pass sooner rather than later. He wasn't sure if he was ready.

 **[EX]**

Quite a few hours after the party was supposed to end, Minato finally arrived at his new home overlooking the Luciferian Sea, a puzzled expression on his face as he thought about the rather lengthy conversation held between the Maou, the Emperor and himself.

After greeting Lucifer and Le Fay, both of whom seemed to relax upon seeing him, Minato did his best to navigate the large marble hallways towards the bedroom being shared by Ophis, Lilith and himself. Asia, Bennia and Xenovia claimed the room directly across the hall while Kuroka was content to take the neighboring room with Le Fay and Nyx.

Stripping out of his suit, Minato lowered himself into the bathtub filled to the brim with piping hot water. Silver eyes stared far past the walls surrounding him, indicative of just how deeply Minato had withdrawn into his thoughts. The soft pitter-patter of footfalls brought him from his reverie as Ophis came to rest just outside of the steaming body of water Minato was relaxing in.

"Hello, Ophis." Minato greeted lightly, not turning his head to look at her as the back of his head came to rest on the edge of the tub behind him, his body sinking further into the depths of the water.

"...Hello." Ophis greeted lightly after a few moments before the sound of clothing hitting the ground could be heard. Minato snapped his eyes shut quickly as he saw the petite being move to join him within the bath, only opening them after confirming that she had fully slid into the water as well.

The two didn't need to speak to communicate, having grown so used to the other that it was almost unneeded.

"You... seem tired." Ophis eventually broke the silence after settling directly next to him, her head coming to rest on his shoulder as the two soaked up as much of the heat from the water as they could.

Minato sighed deeply before turning his head slightly to glance at the small Dragon God leaning on him for support.

"Do you think I am doing the right thing?" Minato tentatively questioned, almost as if he were second guessing himself, "Is this really the only way?"

"Peace... is fleeting. Temporary." Ophis stated as if it were a fact and not just her opinion, "You must... first experience strife to understand peace. Bloodshed will come sooner or later, it is up to you to seize the opportunity."

Minato didn't respond, instead allowing silver to lock onto primordial grey before he cracked a small smile. Leaning over, Minato allowed his lips to come to rest upon her forehead before he, too, rested his head against the top of hers.

Ophis felt her face heat up slightly, sputtering almost inaudibly before she once more fell silent. The two rose from the water after the heat began to dissipate close to an hour later, dressing themselves once more in light clothing before climbing into the massive bed that Lilith was already sleeping in.

Minato hadn't even been in bed for minutes before Kuroka appeared in his doorway, a rather devious grin on her face as she sauntered towards the laying figure before snatching him up, throwing him over her shoulders and bolting from the room. Lilith woke with a start upon feeling her fathers body being removed forcefully from her grasp. Snapping her head up, Lilith watched with a light scowl as her father was removed from her presence.

Lilith and Ophis turned to regard one another, blinking almost owlishly before they took off in hot pursuit.

Xenovia, Asia and Bennia would later join in with Le Fay acting as their coordinator, attempting to snatch Minato for themselves away from Kuroka, leaving him as an instrument of a game he did not wish to be a part of. Soon enough, Nyx joined Ophis and Lilith to even the odds, thus dividing the house almost down the middle with Kuroka acting as a rogue agent, all for a game of Keep Away.

 **[EX]**

"Come on people, move it, MOVE IT!" The Director on set shouted, watching with a scowl as multiple Devils scrambled to get into position.

Minato stood in rather casual clothes more fitting a Devil than a God, staring downwards at a script provided to him by Gasper a few hours before. He did his best to memorize the last of his lines while improvising a few sections that were too over the top for him to act out.

'Gasper and Sirzechs were really trying to lay it on thick, aren't they?' Minato questioned himself while moving a few feet to his left, taking a seat just as a few other members of the cast began to appear. The stage lights began to light up as more and more Devils got the scene laid out as instructed.

A taller than normal Gasper appeared almost as if summoned by the thoughts of Minato, striding almost confidently towards the man that helped drag him from his shell. "You look like you need to go back to sleep, Senpai."

Minato raised his hand to greet the light blond haired Dhamphir, having no need to deny that he was getting very tired.

Azazel and Vali appeared together, each wearing clothing that was styled in the same fashion as Minato's. "Yo, you look tired, D." Azazel was quick to parrot the same point as Gasper, though his tone was slightly twinged with worry, "You're working yourself too hard, or working someone else too hard. Could be both."

"You would be tired too, had you the same type of night as I had last night." Minato murmured just loud enough for Azazel, Vali and Gasper to hear, not having the drive within him to so much as strain his vocal chords. "Those women are insane. Kuroka especially."

"Hah!" Vali laughed, throwing his head back while placing his hands on his hips, "Better you than me!"

"Says the man who prays for help in establishing a relationship." Minato didn't bother looking at Vali as he responded, instead handing Azazel two different scrips before stretching. "I need to go meet up with Yasaka and Kunou and then grab Lilith on the way back. Text me when it's time to get started."

"You got it, D." Azazel gave him a thumbs up before dragging Vali behind him, disappearing to the back rooms of the rather large studio to get ready and memorize their lines in peace. Both members of the Grigori Faction were in rather devil may care moods, something that contrasted heavily with the cold gloom that hung around the returned God of Death.

That meant Minato was in for one hell of a headache once the filming started, as Azazel and Vali being in a good mood spelled disaster for everyone else. Neither were known for acting their ages, though Vali, for the most part, had a rather charming personality that blended well with his slight flirtatiousness. Azazel was as hopeless as Issei when it came to taking things seriously, though recently the Fallen Governor seemed to have gained frown lines on his frown lines, much like Minato had.

If he wasn't sure his hair would remain a permanent sapphire shade, Minato would have been concerned that his hair would end up two toned like Azazels. Gray and Sapphire actually didn't sound terrible, but Minato was doomed to look forever young.

Gasper seemed content in taking the spot Minato was resting at, waiting patiently for Kiba and Lucifer to arrive so that he could give each of them their script for the day.

Having to replace Sirzechs so soon into the filming of the Super Maou D Gang certainly put a hamper on the messages the crimson haired Satan had laid out carefully within the confines of the first episode of the show, but it was something they would have to work around if the messages were to continue being delivered. Lucifer had been most pleased during his rehearsal for the position as the Crimson D, having found both the strange, spandex uniform and his lines very much to his liking.

A wicked smile began to form on the Dhamphir's face, having remembered a conversation he had with Issei just that morning. When the young Devil currently in a relationship with both Rias and Akeno begged to join the cast of the Super Maou D Gang, Gasper was quick to glance down at the front of the teenagers pants before telling him he was severely unqualified for the position.

The abject look of shame and horror that etched itself upon the face of Issei was one Gasper would remember until the day he died again, and probably long after his soul left his semi-immortal coil.

 **[EX]**

"You look as lovely as ever, Yasaka-Dono." Minato greeted the buxom woman courteously, giving the woman a light nod as he approached the patiently waiting entourage in Old Kyoto. A gloved hand was extended for him to take, which he did before ghosting his lips upon her knuckles. As far as he knew, that was the only appropriate greeting when a woman extended her hand as she did in greeting.

"Oh my, you are more old fashioned than I expected." Yasaka joked lightly as her shoulders shook slightly in amusement. The small glare being sent to Yasaka by Kunou was lost upon Minato as the tiny Kyuubi was quick to latch herself to the leg of Minato, burying her face into the fabric of his long coat.

Minato couldn't stop the small smile that crossed his face as he gently patted the small girl on the top of her head. "And hello to you as well, little princess."

The pleased look the small girl sent him after removing her face from his hip knew that his nickname for her was well received.

"You do not keep bodyguards in the least, do you?" Yasaka questioned after glancing around him, as if expecting him to come twelve deep as she seemed to.

Minato shook his head in the negative before answering. "They would just get in the way."

Yasaka found she couldn't disagree with the notion, having found fighting with beings much weaker than her trying to protect her did very little to aide her in combat. They tended to hamper her in more ways than one, considering that the Kitsune that swore fealty to her were mostly Yonbi ranked and above, but none higher than a Shichibi.

As the only two remaining Kitsune with the rank of Kyuubi in either the Japanese or Korean Youkai Factions, it was difficult to find a decent fighter within their own race to guard either of them with any success.

For a being like Thanatos, finding a good body guard would be much easier, especially considering the rather powerful roster his Faction currently possessed. If her hunch was correct, the world had hardly seen the tip of the proverbial iceberg as far as Thanatos displaying either his true form, or strength.

"I do not doubt your words." Yasaka eventually noted after tapping her long index finger against her plump lips before said lips spread into a light grin. "It must be nice."

"It can be, I suppose." Minato allowed before directing his attention behind her to the Palace she ruled over. "Are you sure that you do not want to film the episode here? We can always edit the landscape to appear as if we were in Hell."

Laughter that was almost as pure as snow caused the air to twinkle lightly, "While I cannot leave for too long, a little trip to the Underworld is just what I need."

Minato was about to respond before he felt his phone vibrate lightly. Pulling the device from his inner pocket, he regarded the message delivered before responding quickly. "It seems like it is close to time to start shooting. Do you wish to teleport us, or shall we take a quick stroll through the Abyss?"

"Let us take a quick stroll, shall we?" Yasaka didn't need to contemplate her answer long before she was motioning for Kunou to take her hand. The young Kyuubi eventually complied, removing herself from being wrapped around the leg of Minato before he allowed the familiar doorway to open up for the large group to step through.

The body guards of Yasaka were giving him an uneasy look by the time he joined the group of eight and sealed the entrance to the Abyss shut behind them. Another doorway was opened up almost as soon as the first closed, revealing the interior of his second home where Lilith, Ophis and Nyx were waiting patiently at the end of his bed.

When the three felt the familiar presence of Minato force its way through the air and rip through the fabric of reality, they knew that it was time to leave.

Kunou was quick to latch onto Lilith before she sent a confused look to her right.

"But... you, she... what?" Kunou tried to get her words to come out in an understandable manner, but the confusion that came over her was keeping such things from being possible.

"Kunou, meet Ophis, the mother of Lilith." Minato introduced the older being as to stop any further confusion from befalling the young Kyuubi.

"Mother...?" Kunou began to resemble a fish out of water, her eyes wide as her mouth opened and closed. Soon, what appeared to be steam erupted from the ears of Kunou, her mind unable to wrap around the fact that someone who looked as young as Ophis was already a mother, despite being one of the oldest and most powerful beings in the many worlds connected to the Dimensional Gap.

The giggling of Nyx broke the silence as the Goddess of the Night let out a coo of delight. "She is just adorable, Yasaka."

 **[EX]**

Minato was greeted by the Peerages of both Rias and Sona as soon as his large group stepped from the Abyss and into the studio once more, the pouting face of Issei too much for Minato to address in current company. As much as he wanted to tell the teen to grow up, Minato knew that Issei would likely be the same until the day he passed away.

Koneko was by his side the moment he stepped through the threshold, poking him multiple times in the same spot with a good amount of force, enough to cause him to try and wiggle out of the way of the poking finger. "Koneko, why?"

"You didn't text me." The white haired Nekoshou did not mince words, crossing her arms over her diminutive chest while glaring harshly at Minato. Her left foot was impacting the ground almost rapidly, another indicator that she was upset with him.

"I am sorry, Koneko. The past few days have been hectic." Minato offered her an apology for his lack of communication skills, knowing that she would likely remain mad with him for a few days to come.

The rapid fire poking that he received in place of a verbal response let him know he was correct in his assumption. "Once things calm down, we can spend as much time together as we want."

Koneko huffed before she nodded her head in acceptance, knowing that her boyfriend was so busy that quite a few of his goals and hobbies were put on hold until the world tension deescalated once more. "Still don't like it."

"I don't like it either, Koneko." Minato admitted while wrapping a single arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest before resting his chin atop her head. "Just hold in there and I promise to make it worth your while."

"As touching as this is, we need to get moving." Gasper called out as Kiba, Vali, Azazel and Lucifer stepped into the main area of the studio, each clad in a different colored spandex uniform. "Filming is going to be starting soon."

"Ah... my uniform..." Lilith murmured, looking down at the gothic lolita dress in disappointment upon seeing almost all of the cast members already in uniform.

Minato snapped his fingers before a uniform identical to the one Lilith wore during their visit to Kyoto landed in his waiting arms. "I have it right here, Lilith."

The daughter of Minato and Ophis seemed to brighten up upon seeing her uniform, taking it from the arms of Minato before walking towards the room with Kunou and Yasaka right behind her.

Despite not looking in his direction, Minato pointed at Issei directly over his shoulder and wagged his finger, causing the teenager to sputter. "What the hell did I do?"

"We both know what you were doing, and we both know she could eat you for lunch." Minato answered while giving Issei a knowing look. He continued to stare the brown haired teenager down before turning to wink at Rias and Akeno before he, too, went to change into his uniform.

Both girls appreciated the fact that Minato attempted to stamp the infernal, eternal pervert from Issei, but they were beginning to think that it was an impossibility. Little did they know, Minato had already come to that conclusion almost months ago.

Kiba strode forward in his yellow uniform, his helmet spinning on his index finger as he whistled a jaunty tune. Issei picked up a small stone that was used to make the backdrop and set before trying to knock the helmet from Kiba's fingertip. The blond Devil span on his heel while keeping the helmet spinning perfectly, allowing the rock to smack into the back of Gasper's head instead.

Time stopped around Issei, only to resume seconds later. The brown haired Devil under the command of Rias blinked twice before he felt an immense breeze from the many different fans used to keep the building cool. "GASPER, WHY?!"

Issei's pants were nowhere to be seen, leaving the Devil in nothing but his underwear in the middle of a studio filled with influential Devils and diplomats from the Youkai Faction.

The surge of Devil energy he felt from behind him, coming from one Rias Gremory, was enough to make him almost soil himself in fright, knowing that he was going to receive another massive spanking for making a fool of his King once more. "Please be gentle."

"There is nothing gentle about what I am going to do to you."

 **[EX]**

"Gasper, I want you to be honest with me..." Minato started, removing his helmet as Lilith and Kunou sat down to his right. Yasaka was talking with Kuroka, who was slinking around the shadows while waiting for Minato to be done. "Are our ratings because of the plot, or the 'plot'?"

"Uh... both?" Gasper wasn't sure how to answer the question being asked, not without letting Minato know it was only the later rather than the former. That was the best thing about the Super Maou D Gang, though, is that its large audience expecting to see men and women in spandex fighting one another will become more accustomed to the ideas being put forth by the television show.

The premise of the show was simple, revolving around a group of seven rebellious members of high society breaking away from the 'Aristocracy' to fight on behalf of the voiceless members of society. On the surface, it seemed like any 'Robin Hood' styled story, but the undertones are what set it further apart from the gentleman thief genre.

Taking the lead of the first seven, two other groups are formed to do the same, recruiting from the younger generations and the women, creating three groups that operate outside of one another to accomplish the same end goal. The first episode was dedicated to introducing the cast and the premise of entire first season. The society formed by the Aristocracy is decadent and failing, leaving multiple families to starve in the streets while the wealthy continued to live opulently.

Minato was playing the role of a man known as Makoto Yuki, a young Barron who has grown disgusted with the social ills that plague the city he calls home. Seeing things such as prostitution and drug use becoming more and more frequent in the streets as more and more families fall into the grips of extreme inflation, taxation and extortion, Makoto Yuki dons the mask of the Black Death, a man fighting to free society from its own self destruction by giving them something they had lost. Hope.

The second episode introduced the main villain of the first season, the Great King who ruled the corrupted society from behind the scenes, known as the 'Emperor of Destruction' due to his overwhelming power and influence. After the Crimson Death is placed in the hospital and later dies from his injuries, he is replaced by an old family friend of Makoto's, allowing the transition between episode one starring Sirzechs and episode two starring Lucifer to seem believable.

All in all, Minato was rather pleased with how the storyline of the show is supposed to go, but the acting and lines he is being asked to perform were just too much.

"What kind of man snaps his hips when he talks?" Minato question incredulously, knowing that it was likely Gasper who tried to throw such requirements into the script and not Sirzechs, "Are you still sore about not being able to wear your favorite panties? Because if you keep this up, I assure you, I will make them fit again."


	46. The Exordium of War

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **4**_ _ **6**_ _ **,**_ _ **The Exordium of War**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 _Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, you beautiful people you. I hope you all are still with me for this, because things are going to start heating up tremendously._

 _Inter-dimensional shenanigans will be occurring in between part 1 and part 2 of the Exalted duality, as I have started calling the two main stories of the Exalted storyline. I really like the idea of Azazel being the cause of said shenanigans as well as the idea of using the RWBYverse as one of the destinations._

 **[EX]**

"You aren't going to pretend to be at least somewhat interested?" Sirzechs questioned as he folded, placing his cards face down on the table with a deep sigh. Azazel was grinning like a loon as he stared at his hand before laying them on the table face up. "Twenty, beat that."

"Blackjack." Minato called out in a disinterested voice as he tossed his two cards to the table, revealing a king and an ace for those gathered around the table to see. Yasaka, too, let out a deep sigh as she revealed her hand to contain a ten and a nine, leaving her two points shy of matching Minato.

"I am convinced you are cheating." Serafall stated with a frown marring her face, looking down at her cards as if they had just betrayed her trust for the last time.

"And I am convinced you just aren't good at card games." Minato responded lightly before reaching out to slide all of the chips towards his side of the table once more, "Maybe you should practice."

"MaYbE yOu ShOuLd PrAcTiCe." Apparently, Serafall was not in the mood to be picked on and was very up to date with mockery.

Ajuka continued to play on his phone, ignoring the game going on while Falbium was content to sip at his tall glass of suds and pretend the world didn't exist. The chrome domed Devil, while one of the laziest beings Minato had ever met, was also one of the most tactful as far as military engagements went.

Minato was dragged into a game night dedicated to the leaders of the Alliance not even an hour after the filming for the second episode of the Super Maou D Gang was completed and sent in to be edited, thus preventing him from going home to take a nap like he intended.

Kunou was spending time with Lilith while Nyx watched over the two of them, Ophis deciding to retreat to her personal room back in Kuoh for a few hours to rest.

"Look, Sirzechs, as much as it would please me to prove that my little squad would wipe the floor with your young Devils, I highly doubt it would be well received amongst the Aristocrats, would it?" Minato eventually allowed himself to get back on the subject the two were originally discussing, "Besides that, I was hoping to spend the day with my family by the lake, if at all possible."

"Aren't the odds against your little team, though? Their numbers are much smaller than a standard Peerage of Devils." Falbium interjected lightly, his expression remaining as disinterested as always.

Minato resisted the urge to throw his head back and laugh before shaking his head in the negative. "You would think so, but what my girls lack in numbers, they more than make up for in flower power."

"Be as that may, in a war of attrition, even fire... excuse me, flower power can be overcome by pure numbers." Falbium continued, "Just what kind of things have you been teaching them that has you so confident they wouldn't lose a match?"

"That would be telling, now wouldn't it? You are an intelligent man, I am sure you already have an idea on what they are capable of." Minato tilted a brow before grabbing up the stack of cards placed in the center of the table before reorganizing them. Using a trick that Elizabeth had taught him on one of their outings, the stack of cards was bent and then allowed to shoot from one hand to another before he further broke them down. After shuffling the cards once more, he dealt the second round before continuing his conversation.

Sirzechs frowned lightly before rapping his knuckles against the large, round table the six were currently seated at. "That's bullshit and you know it. Rias-Tan could eat your squad for lunch by herself."

"You are full of it, Sirzechs." Minato was very well aware of the strength Rias wielded and had already deduced her current abilities revolving around the Power of Destruction long before she decided she would try and be secretive with her family abilities. "I am aware of every little trick she knows and so are Asia, Bennia and Xenovia."

"Just because they are aware of her abilities doesn't mean they can counter them effectively, let alone if she was backed up by her entire peerage." Ajuka piped in, having found that the current conversation was interesting enough to draw him from his thoughts of the near future.

Minato shrugged his shoulders and leaned back, already knowing what the two were trying to do. "I don't think the two of you are very good at getting me to spill information. I will, however, admit that if someone is foolish enough to face them in combat, no matter the numbers against them, I pity their souls."

"Come, now. They are only three, just how much faith can you have in teenagers?" Serafall decided that she would try inkling Minato for information about the three founders of the Sable Church.

"You want to know how much faith I have in them?" Minato laughed, his shoulders shaking from trying to hold most of it back. After pausing to regain his composure, Minato gave the Devils in the room a look that made them understand his conviction.

"My faith in them is as strong as theirs for me. Absolute."

 **[EX]**

Azazel and Minato stood on a large balcony, overlooking the construction finally coming underway of one of the most expensive projects Minato has yet to start, each eager in their own way to see the fruits of their efforts.

Looking downwards at the blueprints in his hand and back up at the large ship that was now being constructed, the blue haired God of Death would be quick to admit he was impressed. Using the database being constructed by the Alliance, a fusion of Norse, Angelic, Devilish and Fallen technology of magical systems were being utilized in a singular project, one simply known as 'Project Yggdrasil'.

The concept of the massive ship was to act as a home base and mobile city capable of holding close to several hundred thousand in just the central portion of the ship, where a large metropolis stylized after the layout of Kuoh was already in the works. The outer hull of the airship would be capable of receiving human nukes and shrug them off, though some of the more powerful supernatural beings might be capable of leaving a few scratches when the shields are running at full power.

Making sure that the large city was capable of sustaining itself was one of the main issues Minato saw arising from relying on a mobile city to keep the population of the many dimensions he had become familiar with safe in the case of the world coming to a halt. Many farmlands and aquifers would be needed, that much was certain.

Azazel and Minato had discussed the possibility of having to engage either Great Red or an awakened Trihexa after Minato hinted at the inevitability of the coming Apocalypse, and so far, neither of them liked the odds of surviving such an encounter. Each member of the Alliance was provided with the same warnings, though Odin seemed skeptical of such things occurring. Despite his skepticism, however, he was more than willing to help prepare for the event none the less.

Facing either Beast head on alone would be foolish, facing them with an Army almost more so due to the large loss of life that was expected to occur in such a confrontation. This lead to the development of a backup plan consisting of creating another Ark, one that would hold the remainder of the worlds population and allow for a mass exodus to another planet or even dimension should the need arise.

In a worst case scenario, Minato predicts that less than a percentage of the worlds population of the many different races would survive The End should he fail in stopping Trihexa or Great Red, perhaps both. In the best possible outcome of The End, only a fifth of the world survives while less than a percentage of Gods and Goddesses would be capable of maintaining afterlives, let alone answer prayers and protect Humanity and the other Mortal Races from those who would seek to enslave them or annihilate them.

Honestly, Minato was more than a little anxious to see his backup plan ready to initiate should the fecal matter hit the rotary blades of a cooling device too soon.

It would take another half of a year before the testing stages of the project would be complete, putting its first voyage to be scheduled some time in late December.

"We are going to need a few of these." Azazel admitted after whistling in appreciation, feeling a large amount of pride for the fruits of his labor, so to speak. The design of the ship was based upon a project that Azazel had started a few hundred years back using Fallen technology, though he had reached quite a few different roadblocks with the project and had to shelf it.

The Alliance forged between the different Factions had more than destroyed the roadblocks and allowed for not only the completion of the original design, but for the collaboration between Factions that had been potential enemies not even ten years earlier.

"Of course we are. We have yet to start the second portion of the project, either." Minato indicated to the second blueprint in his possession after flipping to the back of the first page, revealing another design all together.

Instead of showing a large ship capable of housing a small city, a larger but more stationary object was sketched onto the page in its place.

"Ah, the Nexus will be starting soon, but there is still the logistical issue of... well, how the hell do you expect Great Red to allow us to use the Dimensional Gap without, you know, destroying everything we love?" Azazel questioned in a normal tone, as if he were trying to simply ask about the weather instead of the potential survival of any involved in getting the project started.

"We will just have to deal with it when it comes closer to completion." Minato eventually denoted, having thought long and hard on the subject himself.

His primary goal has been the same since he found himself in his home dimension once more, there is no doubt about that. Averting the Apocalypse of two worlds or more was the most pressing issue he was facing, but the issue of not knowing the timeline he was operating on was driving him mad with anxiety.

Having studied the essay written by Rossweisse multiple times and cataloging his own observations, Minato was more than certain that it was only a matter of time before the seals placed by YHVH would weaken enough for outside influence to potentially destabilize the entire sealing matrix.

The only saving grace to the entire situation, if there even was one, was that Minato was no longer the only being working towards the goal of saving this world, and by default, the world he sacrificed his life to save.

"I still don't like this." Azazel murmured aloud, a frustrated expression appearing on his face for a split second before he was able to school it into one of neutrality once more, "Why do you always take it upon yourself to play the Hero?"

"Because it seems no one else is willing to or capable of fulfilling the role." Minato answered easily enough, having had the same conversation with those that lived with him not even a week prior. "Until the time comes where I am no longer needed, I will continue to do so."

"Look, I can understand that, I really can," Azazel turned to face Minato, his dual toned hair fluttering and preventing the two from making direct eye contact, "What I don't, can't understand is why it has to be you."

Minato didn't answer, instead thinking back to the information that had only been revealed to him after the poker game was finally finished.

The War with Hades, while yet to have officially started, was looking more and more like a victory towards the Alliance and not the amalgam of the Armies of the Dead that Hades and Osiris had arisen in Duat and the Land of the Dead. The largest total loss of life was expected to fall on the heads of those who opposed Minato and his allies, but that did not mean that all was well, especially with the newest bit of information Azazel and Sirzechs were able to procure.

Hermes, the Messenger God of Olympus, has been spotted multiple times throughout the last week entering the Land of the Dead from outside of the exclusion zone that Hades had set up around his farce of a Capital. Having yet to intercept any form of messaging, however, it could only be inferred that Zeus was perhaps helping his estranged brother in the unspoken arms race between the two opposing forces, something that troubled Minato greatly.

Being the closest of his allies to the proximity of Greece, Minato had officially appealed to Heaven and those in Rome to conduct spy operations on the Greek Pantheon and its many different Gods and Goddesses in hopes of having at least some form of information should Zeus officially align himself with Hades.

Michael and Gabriel were eager to officially begin cooperation with the many different factions in the Alliance ever since the introduction of the Brave Saint system and the bolstering of Heavens forces, going as far as sending their finest Exorcists as spies. It also provided a chance for the faith to be further strengthened within Greece, especially after the 'Pagan Revival' that the birth of the Sable Church seemed to inspire around the world. More often then not, it seems that the worlds populations were slowly returning to their traditional religions or those that were closer aligned to their cultures, something that Minato was adamant about refusing to accept responsibility for.

Leaving the spying to the Church and Heaven, Minato had diverted his attention away from keeping an eye on the borders and the actions of outside Factions, allowing Sirzechs and Azazel to keep him up to date while he diverted his focus into much more important projects.

Projects that could very well save the lives of millions, or end them all. It really all came down to the flip of a coin. It was Do or Die, and Minato didn't much feel like dying again.

The presence of ancient Dragons long thought to have died wreaking havoc in Duat, the Land of the Dead and the border with Hell has caused many members of the Alliance some form of hesitance in starting the conflict themselves, having bounced the idea of a surprise attack around quite a bit before deciding it was best until the four armies participating in the war were ready.

Heaven was still lacking in manpower, but had an ace in specializing in an element that was lethal to most other races that dotted the realms.

The Fallen, while having a more abundant population after the most recent skyrocket in birthrates, still lacked the firepower that the other factions held in abundance.

The Devils had much the same problem as the previous two mentioned races, also having to rely on having an overpowering force at their disposal, if only to protect their territory.

The Norse the largest number of Gods and Goddesses in their faction, as far as members in the Alliance went, but remained more lacking in the technological department than even Heaven.

The Youkai were lacking in the ability to project their strength, having instead focused in making their lands almost impossible to usurp from their permanent control while maintaining very close ties with the Shinto faction, the two being almost insuperable. The Shinto, however, were considered unofficial members of the Alliance, agreeing to a non-aggression pact while the two were steadily moving closer to a full on alliance between just the Protogenoi and the Shinto.

It seems there was still bad blood between the Japanese Gods and Goddesses and those that Minato had pursued closer ties with.

Then came his own faction, containing the largest concentration of strength while lacking severely in numbers, independently designed technology or even territory, though the last was subject to change once the dust finally settles.

The most important attack would be their first, using the castle as a staging ground for the bulk of the Sable Army to act as a diversionary force. The first phase of the plan relied heavily on the presence of Holle Behalten and the Sable causing the borders established by Hades to collapse by the rapid reinforcements that would have to be drawn directly from the front lines.

If the forces thinned enough at the secondary demilitarized zone, Sirzechs and Azazel would be capable of leading their own forces through the numerically weakened Grim Reapers and Jackals. While there would still be losses for the Alliance, it would be mostly Minato and the Sable taking the brunt of the damage through his incursion directly into the heart of Hades stolen territory.

"I am unsure myself, Azazel. Perhaps I have a thing for saving people." Minato mused, turning away from the construction while leaving Azazel to continue overlooking the first phase of the building process. "As they say, it wasn't raining when Noah started to build the Ark, correct? How many others helped him besides his family? How many could have saved more, had YHVH warned more than those who held faith in him?"

Deep beneath the bowels of Holle Behalten, as Minato boringly renamed Satans castle, preventative measures were being taken to avert a 'Total Annihilation Event' from occurring ever again, something a bit more permanent than the first Ark was ever intended to be.

It was only slightly ironic that it was Death, The Devil and the Fallen who is thought to have taught mankind to wield weapons and kill one another were the ones attempting to stop the Apocalypse and save as many as they could.

Only slightly.

 **[EX]**

Two days had passed since his conversation with Azazel, allowing Minato to spend a bit of time with his family and enjoy the quiet while it lasted, doing his best to not think about the bloodshed that lay around the corner for the citizens of Hell.

Minato was attempting to relax at the edge of the Luciferian Sea with Kuroka, Lilith and Ophis when he felt the shift in the air around him, becoming filled with enough static to make his hair stand on end, something that told him the time had come once again.

The day had been mostly quiet, if you count the fact that Minato had yet to be forced to pay for property damages thanks to the antics of Xenovia and Bennia quiet. Kuroka had been extremely vocal about getting out of the house for a bit, even going as far as begging Minato while he was bathing.

Feeling only completely guilty for having her so constricted in her movements around Hell, it was only natural that he caved, though only after getting Kuroka to agree that she would be on her best behavior.

While she was a grown woman, she had proven that she was more than capable of causing enough trouble to leave Minato with a migraine the size of Mount Fuji.

"Ah..." Lilith murmured, looking upwards while tugging at the arm of her father, "Papa, look."

High above them, lingering above the false clouds that covered the skies was a figure that none of the four could identify. When they did not move to either attack nor explain themselves, Minato felt a shiver travel down his spine. He could feel the intentions of the figure, despite the large gulf of air that separated them, writhing through the air and constricting the breath of all beings within miles of the epicenter.

"I... do not recognize their energy." Ophis admitted with a small frown forming on her usually expressionless face, "Should I kill them?"

"No, save your strength, Ophis. Leave it to me, you are still recovering." Minato answered quickly, knowing that she would cause far more damage than Minato was willing to pay for in either favors or money.

The moment Kuroka moved to retrieve Lilith and disappear, however, the cloaked figure began summoning their energy for a spell that Minato was not familiar with. He didn't need to be familiar with it, however, to recognize many of the symbols being exclusive to the extremely powerful spells of ancient Greece.

The sky went from being a pleasant blue to golden in a split second as multiple sealing arrays began to stack atop and below one another. More and more sigils and seals began to etch themselves into the air, causing the static build up to skyrocket to new levels.

It all happened in the blink of an eye, less than a second for the sealing array almost a mile wide to condense downwards into the size of a fist, and even less than a second for the powerful attack to be released in the form of a golden orange bolt of lightning tearing through the sky faster than Minato could track.

Multiple barriers erupted around the four, each one layered upon the other, nanometers apart from making contact with one another. Summoning as many as he did took a rather large chunk of his readily available energy, but it bought him enough time to get his family out of the combat zone. As the attack slammed into the first barrier, Minato began pushing as much of his energy into shielding them as he could while wildly reaching into the core of his being, pulling forth only the surface layers of the multifaceted core of strength.

His visage once again faded from that of a Human into one closer to a Sable, large white eyes staring out from a flickering, shadowed form, both arms outstretched as he held back the tremendously powerful spell that threatened to shatter his many barriers in succession.

Ophis noticed his arms beginning to shake before she began to reinforce his barriers with her own energy, giving much needed relief to Minato as he prepared for a counter offensive.

" _ **Kuroka, Ophis, take Lilith and go to the deepest portions of Holle Behalten."**_ Minato's raspy voice rang out above the screaming bolt of power bearing down on the four **_"They are after_ her. _"_**

Nodding resolutely, Kuroka picked the youngest Dragon God up like a sack of potatoes and leaped through the blackened corridor that Minato opened for the two, leaving Ophis and Minato to stare at one another in a silent argument between the two. Ophis eventually nodded her head at the unasked question and followed behind the two, but not before giving Minato an irritated look that let him know she would not be as quick to leave the next time someone attacked him in her presence.

Minato allowed the corridor the close behind them before turning his attention back to his opponent still floating high in the air above him. The barriers around him were beginning to fail from the strain of holding back the powerful attack, especially now that Ophis was no longer reinforcing them, letting Minato know that he had to act quick before they failed. Opening up a small pinhole in front of him, he summoned one of the massive revolvers of The Reaper to his right hand before firing two rounds through the tear in reality.

A second tear opened up behind the cloaked figure, small enough to go undetected as the two darkness infused rounds tore two large holes through Minato's most recent opponent.

Roaring in pain, the cloaked figure cut off the supply of energy steadily being fed into their attack and began to drop in height before correcting themselves, their left hand now clutching the heavily bleeding holes bored through their chest cavity.

A sickly purple light erupted around their left hand before the wound was cauterized, staunching the blood flow as quickly as they could. As they focused on stopping their bleeding, however, Minato sprung into action.

Switching the revolver to his left hand while in his right was the serrated straight blade that Minato had used against Azrael, the flickering form of the God of Death blasted off like a rocket towards his opponent, leaving a shaded streak to stain the sky. As quickly as he could, Minato coated his blade in his energy before thrusting it forwards, hoping to use his momentum to spear his opponent through.

Just as his blade was about to pierce the throat of the would be assassin, it was parried to the right by a green sickle that was almost familiar to Minato, though he dismissed the notion and instead focused on killing the one who dared target his family or himself.

The burning anger that he expected to be roiling through him was strangely absent, and in its place was a cool wrath that demanded blood as recompense, a feeling he was willing to indulge in if only temporarily.

Three rapid attacks from his blade and two shots from the revolver were all batted to either side of his opponent, causing Minato to allow himself to fall back and put some space between the two instead of allowing himself to be pulled into a deadlock.

" _ **You feel familiar."**_ Minato noted with barely concealed disdain, **_"But I know I have not come across you yet."_**

"Correct." His opponent did not seem concerned with Minato's words, instead focusing on attacking with relentless force. A downward slice of the strange sickle was blocked by the straight sword of Thanatos, though Minato could feel his arms buckle slightly from the force of the blow.

 _'Strong.'_ Minato hissed to himself, a stinging sensation numbing his right arm from the force of the three blows he was forced to parry in rapid succession. Dismissing the singular revolver of The Reaper, Minato wrapped both hands around the handle of his blade and reinforced his arms with an even larger amount of energy to hold back the now glowing crescent sickle of his opponent.

Allowing the figure to remain weapon locked with him, Minato opened multiple small tears in reality and forced dozens of spiked chains and tendrils of roiling blackness to attempt to gore his opponent from all sides.

Dozens of small pockets opened up in the air around the two, and soon the air was filled with chains, blood and shadow as most attacks reached their mark.

Instead of screaming, however, his opponent remained silent and stared ahead defiantly. Lightning the color of the setting sun erupted around their body and disrupted his shadow attacks while traveling up the chains and into the shadowed pockets that they came from.

Minato felt his body become rigid as the lightning arced from the chains and impacted his body, scoring large gashes and burns across his chest and stomach region. Covering his face and allowing the lightning to burn his forearms, the seething form of Minato began to grow more and more solid as he continued to draw out the sluggish energy within his core.

The chains began to blacken from the strength of the lightning, causing Minato to dismiss them in concern for their structural integrity. Ionization would potentially impact his control over the Chains of Sisyphus and perhaps even change their nature, something he was loath to do.

Once more, a purple miasma erupted around the black cloaked figure some ten feet from his body, sealing their wounds shut and preventing them from bleeding out mid-combat. Minato did the same, using his knowledge of the Diarahan skill common among his Persona specializing in healing to knit his wounds shut.

" _ **You are skilled."**_ Minato admitted through clenched teeth as he once more rushed forward, two coffins appearing over either of his shoulders to increase his speed once more, allowing him to get directly in the face of his opponent almost before they could blink.

The clank of metal meeting crystal echoed loudly over the churning waters below them, the landscape along the Luciferian Sea already showing signs of devastation from the lightning based attack of his opponent. Leaning in until they were almost nose to nose, Minato summoned a powerful wind from below the two to blow their hood back, revealing his opponents face for the first time of their conflict.

Molten golden eyes peered from beneath a sapphire blue fringe of hair, revealing a face almost identical to Minato save for the features of their face to bear a striking resemblance to Nyx.

Circular, white eyes bled silver as the metal helmet of Thanatos settled over Minato's crown, his anger spiking higher as he realized what, _who,_ he was facing.

" **Well hello, _Sister."_** Minato whispered harshly before he renewed his assault once more, purple fire roaring from the confines of the coffins hanging around his back like a cape. Wicked gauntlets formed over his hands and forearms as he began to enter the final stages of the Thanatosian State, almost tripling the raw darkness that stained the environment around the two combatants.

"Traitor." The almost identical sibling of Minato greeted back with equal harshness, clearly not a fan of Minato if her useless epithet was to go by.

Leaning his head downwards and pulling his arms towards his chest, Minato allowed the churning blackness within him to seep out of his inner coils and begin to change the landscape around and below him to suit his needs.

Spires of pale crystals formed from the sea below and began to shoot upwards, attempting to gore the flesh of his female opponent while black lightning began to spark around his body.

With a roar, Minato threw his arms and head backwards as a shock wave erupted from his body, covering everything within a miles radius in shadow and blotting out all light that would reach the two.

Deep within the sphere of darkness, Minato began to unleash his more volatile attacks and spells without worry of collateral damage. Anything that reached one boundary of the sphere would simply appear at the opposite edge, confining his opponent and preventing her from escaping.

" _ **Mamudoon."**_ Minato forced two sigils to carve themselves in the air before exploding outwards, devouring the energy present all around the seals and causing the natural entropy of all cellular activity to increase drastically.

His opponent was far too close to the epicenter of the technique to escape the blast radius and was soon coughing blood as her wounds festered at an extremely rapid rate.

Healing spells seemed to only slow down the rot, however, and did nothing to stop of energy of Minato from forcing its way into her muscles and cells, devouring the potent strength of his opponent little by little.

"You... Bastard." The woman spat through gritted teeth before reaching into her pocket and producing a vial. Upending two vials of the liquid into her mouth before Minato could stop her, the entropic effects of his energy were rejected as the spectacular wounds scoring her body began to heal.

Minato narrowed his eyes, having finally confirmed something that Sirzechs had been weary to say was true or not. It seems the Phenex Patriarch was indeed working in concert with the enemies of the Alliance and his own governing body.

Unacceptable.

" _ **Drink deeply, coward. Those tears will not save you."**_ Minato called out as four more coffins materialized around his shoulders, revealing all eight of the deathly appendages that acted as both a cape and wings. The energy output from his body reached his current maximum as the rest of his armaments formed over his legs and torso.

"I am Judgment, and I have deemed you unworthy of existence. For your crimes against Olympus, I hereby sentence you to Death by Fading." His opponent called out, revealing enough information for Minato to finally guess as to who he has been facing.

" _ **Then come and fade me, if you can."**_ Minato laughed, spreading his arms wide as the Chains of Sisyphus coiled around his waist and shoulder before poising themselves like snakes ready to strike, **_"I will remain standing long after Time is devoured and this physical realm collapses into singularity, watching over my people as an eternal protector. Even with the might of Olympus behind you, Nemesis, you are nothing but a speck of dust in the face of Sol."_**

With his part said, Minato reengaged Nemesis with gusto, switching between the Blade of Lucifer and the Blade of Thanatos as the two continued to clash in the center of the pocket dimension Minato created around the two to contain the damage. Intimidation was just as much a factor in combat as the actual violence, leading Minato to play mind games with Nemesis each time the two drew close to one another.

He would whisper of her weakness, of her worthlessness, of her inability to be more than a servant to the Olympians while betraying her own blood. More often than not, Nemesis ignored his words, but he could see the seeds of doubt starting to grow. Now, he needed them to bear fruit.

A stroke of her sword and sickle saw a gash upon his chest that did not heal, but it also saw a gash through her throat. Her wounds continued to seal shut with the release of a sickly purple energy, something Minato knew could only have come from Hades from his encounter with Azrael.

Black ichor dripped from his wound, staining the velvet blue long-coat that covered his torso and stomach region, hissing and staining the already darkened sphere of spacial distortions. Soon, what appeared to be smaller Sable began to rise from the puddles of blood that leaked from Minato's chest, each reaching towards Nemesis as they targeted she who dared spill the blood of their God.

Nemesis gave off an air of pure confidence as she swiped her straight blade through swathes of the smaller Sable, losing sight of Minato temporarily as the darkened aura that was displaced by her attacks upon the Sable blotted her vision.

Black blood hung in the air like a mist, easily obscuring what little light existed within the Void of the pocket dimension, which was extremely little. Casting a simple fire spell to hopefully shed some light on the rather dim situation, Nemesis wasn't prepared to come face to face with a snarling dragonoid with circular, silver eyes.

Attempting to lunge forward, the shadowy being of roiling blood began spit ichor as if it was flames. Anything the ichor came into contact with began to act much like the entropic effects of the Mamudoon spell, once more devouring the energy in the physical material that made up her flesh and clothing.

Casting the ruined cloak of hers to the side, Nemesis revealed a black tunic only being held together by a singular leather belt while behind her, two wings more alike a birds than an Angels spread wide, ebony in color.

"Enough of this, Thanatos. Face your Judgment!" Nemesis shouted as orange lightning covered both her straight blade and green sickle, not only lighting up the area around her, but providing an extremely effective counter to the physical darkness that continued to nip and bite at her flesh, gnaw at the inner essence that was granted by her Lord Zeus.

So occupied was she in wildly swinging her blade at the Dragonoid Sable that she nearly fell pray to being gored through the back one more, this time by a much more frightening weapon than either the Blade of Lucifer or the Blade of Thanatos could have hoped to be.

Trilling with the sound of thousands of discontent harpies, the Anti-Longinus trembled in his grasp as the Living Will of Death he contained within the weapon yearned for combat once more. Black lightning erupted around the blade of the Sword-spear, leaving scores of angry burns upon the back of Nemesis as Minato attempted to rend her spine in twain.

Nemesis moved far too quickly for the attack to strike true, however, her body appearing at the opposite end of their arena as the after image he stabbed began to fade.

Watching wearily as the Dragonoid curled protectively around the shoulders of the heavily armored Minato, Nemesis began to ruminate on her choice of not escaping to get the drop on Thanatos another day after the Master Bolt spell proved too little to kill him, despite the assurance from Lord Zeus that it would be.

The energy of Hades could only sustain her and stave off the essence of Death for so much longer, and should Eris and the Keres prove unwilling to keep their end of the bargain, Nemesis feared this pocket dimension would be her tomb.


	47. Coming Sorrows

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **47**_ _ **,**_ _ **Coming Sorrows**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Attempting to escape did no good. No matter how many times she tried to breach the barrier around the two, Nemesis could not feel any damage to the structural integrity of the pocket dimension created by her opponent.

If she could not breach it from within, Nemesis doubted either Eris nor the Keres would be capable of piercing it from without. It seemed she was trapped in here, dancing the dance of Death as he nipped at her heels, wore her down, broke her spirit and stung her pride.

The golden blood that ran through her veins was depleted heavily and her healing items and spells were beginning to work less and less as the damage to her body continued to accumulate at a rapid pace.

From the entropic nature of his energy to the sheer ferocity in his attacks, Nemesis saw no reprieve from the wrath of Thanatos, so entertained by their fight that his laughter rang out through the marble she was trapped in.

At first, the laughter held only a singular, raspy tone, but soon another voice, and then another, and then another joined in. Four voices, that of a child, an elderly man, a woman and a _demon_ , each with their own inflection.

It was terrifying. The Fates did not warn her of this potentiality, of this possible timeline in where her assassination of Thanatos and his disgusting abomination of a child failed.

Of course they wouldn't.

The clashing of metal upon metal rang out again for the umpteenth time, the two warrior Gods having lost themselves in the hum of combat.

Minato became one with his blade, allowing it to become an extension of himself as it was meant to be, truly, leaving irrevocable damage upon the very soul of his opponent. Even if she were to escape him, he ensured that she would surely die from the devastation he had weaved so skillfully into her body. Like a master craftsman, Minato allowed himself to become the weaver of calamity, threading skillfully a tapestry of death dedicated to Nemesis alone.

Minato almost didn't see the dagger poised to take out his right eye until it was almost upon him, having shot from the darkness at a rate he was hard pressed to track. Ducking backwards, the streaking weapon left rivulets of venomous acid in its wake to fall upon his torso and helmet-like armor, sizzling and eating away at the metal vestments of protection.

Nemesis struck blindly behind her at the barriers that kept the two separated from Hell, causing the spherical dimension to bulge outwards from the ethereal force placed into her righteous blade.

The dimensional marble bulged back inwards, indicating that there was an outside force trying to breach the bulkhead of energy that kept Nemesis trapped.

 _ **'Reinforcements...'**_ Minato acknowledged the shifting in pressure inside of the dimension, showing that there had indeed been a collapse along its walls.

He did not allow the marble to collapse, however, and instead directed it to grow, to _consume_ those waiting outside of the blackened walls so that, they too, might dance with Death.

Another cloaked figure stood shoulder to shoulder with Nemesis now, bearing in their right hand a golden apple and in the other, a dagger gleaming green and dripping venom that ate away at the pseudo-reality introduced by the ontological manipulations of Minato.

" _ **So Strife and Judgment dare stand together against me?"**_ Minato questioned, knowing already who the figure bearing the golden apple was from the many legends he had read and memorized, _**"Both of you are dogs, one to Zeus and the other his wretch of a wife."**_

"The only cur here is you, filth." It was the still cloaked Eris that spoke up, her shoulders tensing upon hearing the four voices of Thanatos ring out through the still expanding pocket dimension around them.

The black lightning coating the Anti-Longinus continued to grow stronger as the trilling of thousands of harpies began to subside and give way to a different noise, one much more terrifying. The crackling, zapping noise began to sound like the low rumble of thunder as bolts of power rubbed against one another.

Slashing horizontally, Minato watched as the cloak that Eris wore was torn to shreds from the massive gust of wind that cut away at her flesh and tore away at the cloth and armor protecting her.

Yet again, Eris was revealed to be a winged figure similar to that of a Fallen, much like his other sister Nemesis. _**'Well, let us see how she likes having them removed.'**_

Minato allowed himself to float backwards a bit before his body faded all together, allowing his essence to dissipate and permeate the pocket dimension, leaving Eris and Nemesis to turn their heads either way in an attempt to find him. Neither could feel the presence of Thanatos any longer as it had sublimated itself and fused with his realm, though they knew without a doubt that he was watching, waiting for them to drop their guards.

"Nemi..." Eris hissed through clenched teeth, feeling blood drip from the shallow cuts gashed into her flesh by the winds conjured by her brother, "The Invasion has begun! Why are you still wasting your time here?"

"How do you expect me to escape, you foolish woman?" Nemesis hissed back, already knowing that things had started going south quicker than she expected, "I have been waiting on you!"

"We need to go now or Hera will have my head..." Eris whispered, putting away her dagger and pulling a sphere from her inner robes. Pushing a large portion of her energy into the sphere as directed by her Master, Eris felt a change within the object and threw it forward so that it would hover in the air. "Guard me while I get us out of here!"

Nemesis nodded resolutely, though she knew that it would be for naught. Just as a large sealing array erupted from the center of the crystal sphere, the sound of a grunt filled the ears of Eris before she watched Thanatos appear from the corner of her eye.

Too quickly for Eris to react, each had a single wing grasped by the claws of their brother before he viciously tore them away, leaving both with only one wing and a wound that would cripple them further.

" _ **You won't escape me."**_ Minato assured the two of them before his body faded once again, leaving the two to clutch at one another as Nemesis began to cry in pain. Tears fell from her eyes in rivulets, but she did not allow herself to vocalize her pain, instead suffering in silence as Eris once more attempted to free the two from the confines of this strange Anti-Reality around them.

The seal was activated before a massive shock wave of golden light erupted outwards, shattering the sphere of darkness that kept them trapped and revealing the landscape around them.

Minato once again found himself hanging above the Luciferian Sea, but something was terribly wrong. Clutching at his chest as he felt his heart stop beating, his energy began disappearing as quickly as he could draw on it, preventing him from maintaining his Thanatosian State or even that of a Sable.

Rendered nigh empty of energy and still wounded, Minato dropped from the sky as the final two coffin-wings of his dematerialized into ash. As he fell, tired silver eyes glanced outwards as Grim Reapers, dead Dragons and what appeared to be hundreds of thousands of the Keres hung over the land of Hell, moving forward as an invasion force that Minato would be hard-pressed to match without emptying the Sea of Souls. 'No...'

 _ **'I can't fail here!'**_ Minato screamed to himself, understanding exactly what was happening. The Alliance had waited too long, sat on their hands as Hades built his power and now, they would pay the price.

Minato wasn't willing to pay that price, but he was _tired_. Something about the seal used by Eris disrupted his internal energy and prevented him from pulling on his potent strength. For the first time in months, Minato felt his body heat, actually felt alive instead of being locked in a state of half-life.

It terrified him.

Further and further he fell, and soon he was beset upon by the Keres in waves. Their talons tore at his flesh, grabbed at his arms and pulled him higher into the air before dropping him again, preventing him from either landing and regaining his balance or countering their terrible teeth.

The blood that escaped his wounds did not fall to the earth, instead it was drank up greedily by the bird-like women given form by his mother Nyx, empowering the Keres to tear at his flesh harder than before.

They clawed at his face, removing his right eye all together with glee, consuming the crushed sphere whole. He did not open his mouth to scream, however, instead ignoring the blinding, crippling pain that consumed him as he moved his right hand to the back of his waist band.

His grip on the Anti-Longinus slipped and finally failed, his weapon descending from the sky and sinking into the depths below, the many Keres completely avoiding the deadly weapon as it defiantly struck out at those that dared harm its master. The water below became electrified with coursing, sable lightning, showing the wrath of the semi-sentient weapon even after it left his hands.

The Keres finally drank enough of his blood to leave him nearly dry, his body and limbs torn to ribbons and his entrails threatening to spill from his wounded abdomen.

Minato felt something tugging at his mind once more, so malicious that it nearly stained his singular remaining eye solid black. The laughter that rang through his head was one of amusement, but even Minato could feel the absolutely miniscule undercurrents of worry in that barking laughter.

 _'Why do you hesitate?'_

 _ **'I can't feel my arms...'**_

 _'Call on me!'_

 _ **'I don't know how...'**_

 _'It has never changed, Master. Summon me!'_

 _ **'I...'**_

' **DO IT.** '

Minato felt his body impact the water below, pulling him into electrified depths as his weapon attempted to reach out to him, call his name. He ignored it, however, and continued to try and make his arms respond, but his muscles had been torn beyond the ability to use them.

His vision began to fade as the darkness of the Luciferian Sea's depths blinded him to the chaos above, no light reaching him as he sank further and further into the depths. Minato felt his body turn until he was face down from the undercurrents of the body of water before he was gently deposited onto the bottom of the sea.

' _ **I...'**_

He felt the pain beginning to fade and knew what was on the horizon, something he had experienced only once before. Minato almost believed that should he open his eyes, he would see the sad smile of Aigis looking down at him, tears falling from her blue eyes.

Something, _someone_ , called out to him one last time, however, doing their best to get his attention once more.

 _'P-... a!'_

 _ **'...What?'**_ Minato questioned lethargically as his eyes struggled to stay open. He strained himself to listen, but no other words would come. He continued to listen, however, and eventually, Minato complied.

His right arm twitched as he struggled once more, finally getting his appendage to move, despite the critical damage done to his body. Someone was waiting on him, and he couldn't fail her. He couldn't fail _them._

Grasping the handle of his oldest companion, his oldest weapon, Minato released it from the holster that kept it hidden at the small of his back and slowly brought the barrel to his head.

'Elizabeth... I swear if you gave me a useless Evoker, I am going to fucking hurt you.' Minato thought to himself in trepidation as he allowed his eyes to slowly close.

'Come, CONQUER THEM ALL.'

 _ **'As you wish, My Lord.'**_

 **[EX]**

Eris looked downwards at the Luciferian Sea with hardly concealed glee, finding that after two thousand years, the stain on her family lineage was finally wiped clean.

"Oh, Sister..." Eris whispered to herself as she watched a strange gleam enter the eyes of Nemesis. Of course the Goddess of Retribution would find more joy than even herself upon finally killing he who murdered their Father.

"Should we join in the rest of the fun?" Eris eventually questioned aloud, not directing the question towards Nemesis but rather anyone who would listen.

"No, we must confirm he is Faded." Nemesis eventually answered after finally reeling in the ecstasy brought about by revenge, "As per orders from Lord Zeus and Lady Hera."

"As you wish..." Eris murmured thoughtfully, tossing her golden apple up and down after storing the sphere provided to her by an Ally of Zeus away in her disheveled robes, preparing herself for the dive into the cold, electrified waters below.

The Keres were screeching victoriously when there was another massive shift in the atmosphere around the many beings, strong enough to cause the harpy-like creatures to stop their cheers and to give Eris and Nemesis pause.

" _ **H** **E** **is no different from any arrogant Tyrant."**_

The Landscape around them began to shift and churn of its own volition, coming alive and _screaming_ a name they could not hear, nor understand. The Luciferian Sea began to boil rapidly, frothing and foaming, releasing gasses and toxic fumes almost relentlessly.

" _ **I am he who gave Man the intelligence he needed to decide."**_

The fumes being released by the roiling sea continued to darken and become midnight blue in color, causing all that were flying low enough to be caught in their clouds to choke and fall limply into the sea. Eris felt something rising from the deep, something colossal in both size and strength.

" _ **I am he who reveled in the primal chaos of Hell, grasped firmly the Original Sin."**_

The artificial skies and moon hanging above flickered and failed, revealing for the first time in quite some time the true skies of Hell. High above the skies, upon the roof of Hell, what seemed to be magma vents opened and began to drip liquid fire unto the Grim Reapers, Keres and strange, skeletal dragons. Spires of onyx erupted from the ground, sending shrapnel into clusters of closely knit foes, glowing an ominous shade of carmine as they drank in the blood of the slain.

The citizens all across Hell, from the dead lands stolen by Hades to the sprawling metropolis of the Fallen, felt the shift all at once. No longer was the Hell they had grown to know semi-peaceful and instead bellowed for blood, for sacrifice, for sin.

This was the Hell of the ancient Demons, the one that Lucifer had spent hundreds of years making hospitable to his children the Devils.

" _ **I am he who conquers, conquered and will conquer eternally."**_

Nemesis could no longer breath, her eyes watering and her body failing from the immense damage dealt to her by Thanatos before she was reinforced by her sister. The pressure bearing down on her lungs made her feel as if she were going to collapse in on herself while Eris seemed to fare no better.

One by one, the Keres began to drop from the skies like rocks. Not due to the pressure on their wings, however, but due to the wave of absolutely monstrous energy that erupted from beneath the boiling waves of the Luciferian Sea, causing it to burst into flames and light up the area around them like a massive torch.

Something was breaching the surface of the burning sea now, but Eris and Nemesis could no longer see over the smoke or fumes, nor could they even feel their hearts still beating. Calling upon the remaining Divinity coiled inside of her, Nemesis felt her body begin to come back under her control as golden light erupted around her like a cloak. Eris was faring no better before she looked down at the golden apple in her hand and devoured it in three bites. Soon, she too was covered in a protective aura that prevented the presence of _whatever_ that creature was rising from affecting them further.

" _ **I am HIS blackened half, cast away into the burning lakes below it all."**_

Pillars of superheated methane and rivulets of magma created massive columns of fire as wide as the spires that rose from the ground. The onyx towers that glowed an eerie red each gained a massive sigil floating above them, appearing as if a massive eye searching for its next target. Beams of liquid fire erupted from those towers, targeting anything and everything that dared invade the territories of Hell with gleeful malice.

The Devils all felt him running in their veins, engrained somewhere deep in their subconscious.

As the massive figure rose from the burning sea, a rapid bombardment of explosive spheres erupted from around it, targeting Eris and Nemesis specifically. Explosions rocked the molten skies of Hell and far above the Luciferian Sea, a loud laughter of sheer contentment rang out. It was a booming, disgusting laugh that could hardly be considered natural.

Somewhere deep in the city of Lucifaad, Sirzechs and Ajuka sat back to back as they slaughtered swathes of Keres and Grim Reapers that had descended upon the Capital of Hell while Grayfia and the rest of Sirzechs peerage continued to evacuate the citizens to safer areas.

When the shift occurred in Hell, they had felt the strongest pull of all. Without a doubt, any Devil with any amount of strength to them felt the need, the burning desire to submit to the violent beast within them all. Just as quickly as that need to serve obediently came, it went like a ghost into the night and disappeared.

"Just what did _he_ _do?_ " Ajuka hissed in question, having never felt something of that nature in his life. Ajuka was a logical Devil, and by using his logic, he came to the ultimate knowledge that he had no one but himself to submit to. By striving to reach the highest rank he could, by become a Satan himself, Ajuka was above the chain of command and by that logic, his own person.

He no longer felt like his own person. Ajuka had absolutely no doubts about it, that feeling would haunt him until the day he passed into the Abyss for his final journey, as Minato had so promised him.

" _ **I AM SATAN, KING OF DEMONS, EMPEROR OF DEMISE, FREER OF MAN."**_

Eris knew she was in over her head, even before Thanatos went and summoned the dark half of the Biblical God. Standing calmly on two of the four palms of Satan was Thanatos, his blackened Sword-spear sitting tightly in his right hand while in his left, he held a small black firearm of some sort. The massive, sickly blue aura that whipped around him and coated him from head to toe was undoubtably the work of Satan, though how he could have made a deal so quickly with a scattered legend she did not know. Beside her, Nemesis felt herself becoming faint, the Divinity protecting her from the behemoth rising to meet her doing little to stave off the bloodlust, the desire for her death that was so powerful that it became visible.

 _This_ was a being she had no preparations to face, having long since assumed that Satan had fallen to Lucifer, though it should have not come as a surprise to face such a being when Death was involved.

The two sisters reached out for one another silently, floating on one wing each, hand in hand, as the two colossus came to a rest directly across from the two.

Upon the head of Thanatos were two wicked horns and around his back were eight leathery wings spread wide, each a dozen feet in their span. His visage had changed to match that of Satan, a singular pitch black eye staring back at them while his right remained closed, his face distorted by rage and disgust.

They had thought Death dead, but instead now faced two Demons instead.

" _ **REJOICE, FOR I HAVE COME FOR YOU!"**_

Neither Nemesis nor Eris much felt like rejoicing.

 **[EX]**

"What."

"The."

" _Fuck_."

"Is."

"That?"

Five different members of the Gremory Peerage spoke for one another, each feeling the same fear, the same desire for _carnage_ , it was conflicting and comforting at once.

Koneko knew what was happening. Minato had hinted that he had _Demons_ , but she had thought it was just a metaphor.

She could see that it was _NOT_ a metaphor.

"Keep focused, damnit!" Saji screamed out as he and Issei did their best to keep the large Dragon made of nothing but bones away from the orphanage they had been visiting at the behest of Sirzechs, though the gargantuan undead beast was certainly making them work for it.

Each time Issei would score a blow against the skull of the beast, it would snap its purple, flaming eyes to the black armored teenager and score a blow just as vicious. Each time Saji would tie another Absorption Line, it would attempt to take him for a ride and slam him into the various structures around him.

When _Satan Himself_ decided to rear his ugly head and turn Hell into a sweltering inferno of chaos, it was only natural that everything stop and stare, if only for a moment.

Using that distraction to his advantage, Issei had stabbed Ascalon directly through the skull of the Dragon, preventing it from spewing its deadly poison breath at the Gremory Peerage any longer. Irina belted flames at the skeletal beast and melted away the rotten sinew that clung to the pearly bones, melting its joints in some spots and preventing it from moving either of its front limbs.

Attempting to roar in either agony or pain, the skeletal dragon was finally put down by a well placed Death Shot courtesy of the wielder of Ddraig. As the beast began to dissolve into dust, the large conglomeration of Devils was beset upon by stray Keres, some bearing scorch marks and others barely clinging to life from the look in their eyes.

Despite this fact, however, the wild Death-Spirits that acted as the bringers of violent death fought with the gusto of a bear driven into a corner.

Koneko finished drawing in the power of nature around her and entered a higher state of being, revealing a buxom, white haired Nekoshou clad in white priestess robes. Around her were golden Kasha, chakram like disks filled to the brim with purifying energy. She called this form her Shirone Mode, and she had been working tirelessly with Minato and Kuroka to perfect it.

"Blade Burial!" Kiba called out as both he and Tsubaki of the Sitri Peerage dashed forward as a single unit, dozens of holy and demonic blades appearing around the two to both deflect and redirect the scythes of the Grim Reapers that attempted to surround them.

"Clear!" Gasper called out as he blinked back into existence next to Koneko, having used his Sacred Gear to stop time long enough to evacuate the building about to collapse due to structural damage.

Rias and Akeno joined hands as they both began to draw upon their powers, summoning bolts of lightning and spheres of destruction in waves to surround the two Peerages working in tandem with one another to clear the streets of any foe that stood before them. "Ruination!"

The sound of crackling lightning filled the air and the smell of ozone mixed terribly with the faint scent of sulfur and methane that had drifted over Hell since the shift. Ignoring the fact that a Demon Lord, THE Demon Lord walked among them once again, the younger Devils continued to fight, to push their way into the heart of the city where another fight was taking place, one much more terrible and destructive. It was obvious to them by now that somehow, someway, Minato was responsible for resurrecting the very being Hell had done its best to forget. There was no one else _brazen_ enough to do it besides him.

 **[EX]**

Xenovia grunted heavily as her knees threatened to buckle under the weight of the blade pressing down on hers, only to be relieved of that pressure when Bennia sliced her massive scythe at the throat of the elite Grim Reaper that had engaged the three when the Invasion began.

They had been spreading their faith and mingling amongst the Thanatosians in Hell when they found themselves besieged from above by a being only Bennia seemed to recognize, someone she had begun to fight with a gusto Xenovia and Asia did not know the tiny girl possessed.

" _Hold Still, Bastard!"_ Bennia roared in anger as the black aura around her grew threefold, her scythe gaining an ethereal hue to it as she began to tap into the strength hiding away in her small frame.

Each had felt the disconnection from Minato after his sealing, but they did not feel him die nor fade. The three founders of the Sable Church had almost fallen to despair before they felt a different surge coming from the same area he had just disappeared from, directly over the Luciferian Sea where he was supposed to be spending time with Kuroka, Ophis and Lilith.

Without a doubt, they could once more feel the undercurrents of his life force surging through their veins and coils, letting them know that he had survived whatever it was that befell him. While his nature of being was still incredibly dark, it now carried a bloodlust and desire for death that even his normal state did not have.

It was a primal, _carnal_ desire for flesh, destruction, blood and death, to revel in the chaos of battle and suck the marrow from his enemies bones.

His thoughts had become so twisted by the hateful nature of the energy he now wielded that they had become almost memetic, an acausal contagion that spread from mind to mind through the morphogenetic field shared between those of the Protogenoi.

Asia moved to the left as the two small coffin-wings around her shoulders lit up white with fire, skating around a downward swipe of a scythe as she allowed her sickle to slice through the fabric of the priest robes worn by the Grim Reaper she was facing.

While her specialty was not in combat, Minato had more than made sure she could defend herself in the event of separation, and event that had come to pass once again. If asked, Asia would admit that she was scared.

She was not fearful for herself, however, but for those around them. The lesser Grim Reaper of lower ranks had more than made a dent in the civilian population of the Devils of Lucifaad, though the Mid-Ranks and higher Devils had immediately began to fight back with a vigor they did not know they had.

Asia had tried to begin healing as many as she could, but soon realized that she would save more lives through combat than she would through healing at this point, as the wounds inflicted upon those cut by the scythes of the Grim Reaper were wounded down to the soul, not physically.

A High Priestess she might be, but Asia was not strong enough to heal the soul, not yet anyway. Stowing away her sickle on the leather belt she had made for the beautiful weapon gifted to her by her significant other, Asia summoned her massive cannon gifted to her by Nyx, the Nocte Benedictione.

"Bennia, Tag Team Alpha-2!" Asia barked out, drawing the attention of the raging teenager she considered a sister. When Bennia answered with a nod, the two began to move at once.

Summoning her energy once more to her scythe, Bennia allowed multiple crescent beams of energy to target the left side of her opponent, causing him to move both to his right and upwards.

Too bad for him that was exactly where Asia wanted him.

Instead of allowing her cannon to charge to maximum potential as she did against Pluto, Asia began to pepper the being with rapid fire beams of a pale, silver light. The masked Grim Reaper let out a sound of discontentment, though his body language did not show an ounce of pain in the least.

'This... isn't good.' Bennia thought to herself, trying to keep her breathing steady as her anger fluctuated between seething and frigid.

Before her was Orcus, and it was taking everything within her to not lose herself in the bloodlust she normally felt in his presence. It was also taking everything she had to not feel fear, as she knew she didn't have the skill or power to take on Orcus, even with Xenovia and Asia backing her up.

A churning portal opened behind the three Sisters of the Sable Church, causing the three to tense before they felt just who was stepping from the portal.

Nyx strode from the cosmic tear in reality with grace and deadly precision, displaying a side of her that neither of the Three Sisters had yet to witness. Within her eyes were burning supernovas of unadulterated rage and her face was set firmly into a mask of cold apathy, much like the expression worn by her favorite son at almost all points.

In her right hand was her weapon, a short blade that only extended three feet in length. Swinging her blade downwards, however, revealed that it was a whip and not a sword, the blade of the weapon splitting into hundreds of different segments. Upon each segment of the weapon was a dark rune etched, emanating outwards and consuming the light around them all with a hunger fitting a star eater.

" _Hello, my children. Shall we dance?"_

"Lets." They all answered as one.


	48. Hearts of Diamond

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **4**_ _ **8**_ _ **,**_ _ **Heart**_ _ **s**_ _ **of Diamond**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Minato stared defiantly at the two before him, pure rage coursing through his veins like echoes in vast caverns. Two beings, two _siblings_ , dared to not only attack him, but attempt to kill his daughter, all at the behest of Olympus and Hades. They would pay for this transgression with their lives, Minato swore it upon his lost right eye.

Due to the absolute arrogance of an entire Pantheon, Hell was reduced to a war zone, a once mostly peaceful land now smoldering ruin. Due to the actions of Hades and his disgusting pig of a brother, his _family_ was placed directly into harms way far before they were ready to face the bloodshed.

It was beyond unacceptable. This was the most egregious display of ignorance, _stupidity,_ that Minato had ever known.

Due to this stupidity, Minato was not only forced to reveal something he wished to keep a secret, he was forced to do so in front of hundreds of thousands of beings that did not deserve to know such secrets.

" **Oh, what is this? You were so confident before, so _eager_ to kill me. Well here I am,"** Minato crossed his arms across his now heavily armored chest, his wings mimicking the action, **" _W_ _eakened_ , yet you still tremble in fear."**

The wicked grin that spread across the face of Minato was so similar to that of Satan they could have been considered mirrors of one another. His canines had lengthened greatly into fangs that appeared to be for rending flesh, his youthful image distorted by the demonic possession. The pitch black scalera of his only remaining eye began to leak ebony tears, leaving streaks of shadows to trace down his unnaturally pale face. A miasma of blue, ethereal energy emanated outwards from his body, evaporating into nothing not even a foot from contacting his flesh.

Minato uncrossed and lifted both of his arms, and the behemoth being behind him did the same.

So coiled with muscle and bound with malice, the simple movement caused Hell to groan, to scream as he summoned forth a mere fragment of his might. From the burning sea rose a massive sphere of fire, so bright and powerful that it lit up Hell like the sun had decided to displace itself, causing the burning heat to skyrocket around the four beings staring one another down.

" **So you refuse to speak in the face of death, then?"** Minato idly twirled the massive blade in his hand, allowing it to slowly gain momentum as he watched the two before him like a hawk. Though his vision had been reduced, Minato was more than capable of keeping the two of them steady in his sight. Finally, he had enough of waiting and moved, and so did Hell.

Pillars of black lightning rained from the sky above the two opposing Minato as he brought his blade downwards from its raised position, cutting down the Keres as if they were wheat at harvest while drawing closer and closer to those trapped now within a raging cage of torrential force. Hurricane force winds began to buffer the area around, feeding the flames present along the surface, tearing at the wings and feathers of the many beings who dared to stand against him. Eris was damaged the most, her energy having dwindled heavily after forcing her wounds to seal shut, thus causing her right arm and leg to be vaporized and cauterized by the intense concentration of torrential lightning.

Eris was never meant for combat, having been merely a trickster that Hera used to wreak petty havoc. Her Mother nor Father had much to do with her during her youth, causing the embittered being to seek out Olympus of her own behest.

She regretted ever leaving the domain of Tartarus, or ever standing against her eldest brother.

Nemesis fared a bit better, though she still lost control of all muscular activity within her body momentarily, causing her heart to cease pumping her golden blood through her body and providing her brain with the much needed Aether that all of her kind was reduced to consuming.

The Keres still looming in the air, uncertain of their attacks fared much worse. What portions of their bodies that were not instantly vaporized by the powerful lightning or torn to shreds by the winds that raged around them or scorched by the improvised firestorm, Satan devoured as he focused his attention away from the prey that his Master wished to kill.

"H-how..." Nemesis tensed her shoulders and prepared her sword and sickle once more after finally regaining control of her body, ready for her final battle. She knew she wasn't walking away, not anymore. She fought valiantly as her body began to spasm, reducing her tight grip on her weapons to a meager grasp, only capable of keeping them from falling into the raging flames below.

She had failed her mission, failed to put down the Mad Dog of Nyx, but she would at least make sure her name was remembered for fighting against Death himself.

"Eris, I would suggest you leave." Nemesis did her best to warn off her sister, knowing that she was not nearly as combat oriented as herself. If someone had to die, it should only be her.

" **Oh, that's not happening."** The way he whispered in their ears, it was almost as if he were trying to seduce them. His breath was so hot that it seared the back of their necks, causing their flesh to blister. Before either could scream out, he hid his gun and stabbed his left hand through the back of Eris, his clawed gauntlets erupting from her stomach with a shower of golden ichor.

Nemesis was the unlucky of the two, receiving the Anti-Longinus through her spine before a discharge of massive amounts of electricity was released like an explosion. Her body was flung away, but the hulking Demon King was quick to backhand her towards Minato once more.

Minato allowed her body to slide upon his blade once more, not having to put any force into the penetration thanks to the assistance and strength of Satan. It was amusing to watch, though Minato knew that he would not find such a repulsive sight any form of pleasing should it be anyone else.

Nemesis earned herself a special spot on his blacklist, however, with her attempted assassination. She earned every blow she received, and Minato was only paying forward his first installment of punishment.

After a few minutes of toying with the two, his amusement became boredom and once more, he was reminded that he was needed elsewhere.

Even Satan was no longer laughing, finding no fun in playing with his food if it wasn't even going to fight back. For all of their talk, Nemesis and Eris were still only Minor Goddesses, despite being born of two Primordials.

" **I no longer find this amusing. As a matter of fact, it's all kinds of pathetic."** Minato eventually called out, taunting them one final time as he retrieved his oldest weapon, bringing the Evoker to his head once more.

Eris did not understand why he would raise a weapon to his own head, but she was not going to stop him if he thought it wise to kill himself. Blood dripped from her ears, nose, eyes and mouth, almost every organ in her body had been ruptured and her soul was steadily losing consistency. Her time had come, she knew, so it was with glee she thought herself able to see one final, satisfying show of her killer blowing his brains out before he could finish the job.

Nemesis had no idea on what was driving Thanatos to raise his gun to his temple. Why brag if you were only going to commit suicide?

Neither could comprehend his motives, thus did not move to stop him. If only they had, perhaps they could have lengthened their lives, if only minutes more.

Three times did he pull the trigger, sending phantasmal shards of blue into the burning sea below.

Three words did he whisper, their meaning lost upon the enfeebled minds.

" **Debilitate. Heat Riser. Megidolaon!"**

First, they each felt their heart rates slow, their brain function, which was already in disarray, succumb to a heavy cloud of fatigue. Second, his presence skyrocketed as three different colored pillars of light erupted around him, causing him to reach the same level he was at previously before being sealed by the device wielded by Eris.

Third, each saw a bright flash of light before their vision grew dark.

A massive white sphere appeared between Eris and Nemesis, pristine and whole before it shrunk down into the size of a pinprick. It flashed black, white, black, white, shifting reality and bending everything around it as the concentrated energy present in the extremely condensed sphere was ruptured and released.

Everything within ten miles of the attack was battered with a shock wave that damaged the structural integrity of every building it slammed into. Many of those not fortunate enough to be under cover were swept from their feet and tossed aside. There had been an exclusion zone established around his home overlooking the sea, preventing any civilians from being caught within the more devastating portion of the shock wave.

Many of the Keres and Grim Reapers that were left on the outskirts of Lilith were destroyed by the attack released by Minato, leaving not even their shadows etched into the surface of the land to commemorate their passing.

The two Goddesses had survived the attack, albeit barely. Eris could feel her body shutting down as she fell while Nemesis felt nothing from the waist down. Both fell in a line towards the shore of the burning sea, unable to keep themselves afloat after sustaining damage from an attack they had no resistance towards.

Seconds after his third incantation, Minato raised the Anti-Longinus like a javelin, pulled back his arm and let loose his mighty creation straight into the heart of the Almighty based explosion. A torrent of black lightning surrounded the rapidly descending blade, eager to have revenge against those who dared harm its creator and friend.

By a stroke of misfortune or perhaps a calculation by Minato, Eris was gored through her chest by the wicked, heavily chained weapon before pinning her into the scorching, churning sand that was slowly becoming glass from the heat of the burning sea.

Minato removed himself from the hands of Satan and began to descend at a rapid rate towards the immobile Goddesses but not before giving his orders.

" **Give them Hell, Satan."**

" **As you wish, My Lord."**

With that, he was gone, leaving the towering behemoth to bathe in the flames, blood and ichor that surrounded his hulking form. Each movement he made, every time he stretched his massive jowls wide, more and more of the cannon fodder around him fell.

Some died by gouts of flame so twisted they had a life of their own. Many died by the blade wielded by the Demon Lord, the first blade forged in the eternal furnace that roiled beneath the surface of Earth. The entirety of Hell had become a weapon, and its wielder was the most cruel being to have existed in the recent past.

" **That smell, this feeling... it reminds me of better times!"** Satan boomed, swiping two of his mighty arms through the air at once, gouts of flame rising from the sea below at his beconning. Keres were reduced to bone and ash instantly while Grim Reapers combusted and burned a deep violet flame, the power of Hades coursing through them creating a volatile reaction when mixed with the unadulterated corruption that came with Satan's power. **"But these foes are weak! Disgusting fleas, I've devoured Angels far mightier, in larger numbers! You dare invade my land with these meager forces?"**

Minato had to disagree with Satan, finding that the numbers he was seeing were more than enough to put a strain on the armies of the Devils and Fallen alike. These were not the times when Hell was crawling with Demon kind and Heaven filled to the brim with Seraphim, of course.

 **[EX]**

Eris was no longer breathing when he landed, her life having been snuffed and devoured by the hungry blade he wielded so casually. The sparking of the Anti-Longinus continued even in her death, however, showing just how discontent the weapon was with she whom it had ended.

Nemesis stared blankly ahead, either of her weapons removed from her possession, her legs damaged beyond repair and her soul slowly fading to nothing. She was so confident in the assurances of Hades that she never considered failing her task, so it was with terrible sorrow she listened as Thanatos drew closer and closer to her downed position.

The greaves that covered his legs and feet easily crushed the vitrified glass underfoot, leaving behind a fine powder in the wake of his movements. He finally stood before her downed body, no longer bearing a twisted, hateful look upon his face. Passivity had once more overcome his features, though the cold fire that burned brightly in his eye spoke enough of his rage.

After stowing away the small, black firearm away inside of his long coat, he reached out towards the dying Goddess and wrenched her broken body upwards by grasping her by the hair, leaving her dangling at his eye level.

" **Any last words?"**

He stared deeply into her eyes as he seemingly contemplated his decision before he held out his right hand once more. A long, black revolver that she easily recognized appeared in his grasp before he leveled the barrel to her forehead and waited. When she eventually nodded, she beckoned him to pull her closer before coughing heavily.

Leaning forward, Minato listened as she rasped her final words, wheezing as her lungs collapsed from the damage. A ghost of a smile crossed Minato's face before he squeezed the trigger. Golden blood and gray matter erupted from the back of her head, emptying the mind and the last of the life of Nemesis unto the churning, molten glass and sand below.

The revolver disappeared into ash after Minato dismissed his weapon before using his now freed hand to grasp at the escaping soul of Nemesis and wrench it from her cooling corpse.

The freed soul came away from its previous vessel easily, leaving the shuddering, golden flame-like essence to float above his hand, suspended by his abilities surrounding the souls of the dead. He watched the writhing soul with curiosity, tilting his head to the side as he felt it try and wriggle free from his grasp.

He let out a small chortle of amusement before he crushed the soul in his grasp and allowed the essence to mingle with his own, damaging the seal placed around his heart that contained his already quickly replenishing stores of power.

Instead of turning his attention back to the battles raging around Hell, he moved to the pinned body of Eris and repeated the process of preventing her soul from retreating into the afterlife, instead using it to empower himself further and weaken the seal she had placed upon him.

Pushing the restored energy he could feel coursing through him towards his chest, he could make out the strange matrix that was binding him and pinpoint its exact location. Taking less than ten seconds to go through what he knew about Holy Seals, Minato was able to find the weakest point of the seal and decided to roll the dice, so to speak.

Raising his Evoker to his heart instead of his head, Minato began to calculate just how likely his plan was to work.

The Evoker had the ability to force through the barriers of the mind and reality itself. Who was to say that it couldn't do the same to seals?

Considering just how many options were presenting themselves to Minato, he figured that it was worth a try. Otherwise, it could be months before he could remove the seal by contemporary means.

He squeezed the trigger, and his hypothesis was proven correct. The vessel containing a shard of the Consciousness of Nyx concentrated the energy present within his body and released it straight through his heart, shattering the golden seal that had bound his Godly essence and allowed the Abyss to churn through him once more.

The volatile presence of Satan remained, however, something that Minato was not expecting in the least. If anything, the presence grew stronger and stronger now that his internal energies were not suppressed in the least.

The horns atop his head grew larger and began to resemble a crown in a way from how they twisted around one another. His wings began to release a black fog from beneath them, increasing their span by another two feet each while four Coffin-Wings settled around his waist like faulds. His entire body save his head was covered in wicked, blackened armor more fitting a knight in the service of Demons than a warrior of Minato's stature.

Looking downwards at his heavily armored hands and giving them an experimental squeeze, Minato was content with the state of his being for the moment, enough to reach out to contact Kuroka, Ophis and Lilith.

A few seconds after ending contact with the three, Minato did the same with Sirzechs and Azazel before they all came up with a plan on the spot that would hopefully buy them enough time to create some form of order.

Above the burning sea, a massive black portal opened up before slowly, a castle that had been lost to Hell once more returned home.

Holle Behalten, while not dropped onto the head of Hades, was introduced as a floating island above the burning sea, bringing with it an army loyal only to Minato.

The Sable had come and with them came the end of the first incursion of those who dared invade Hell.

 **[EX]**

"Ragh!" Bennia continued to swipe her blade at her father, the assistance provided by Nyx allowing the four females to overcome the defenses of the high ranking Grim Reaper in the service of Hades.

With the backing of a Goddess, especially a primordial, the fight was going much smoother than before.

Orcus blocked the swipe of his daughter and retaliated with a wave of purple smoke erupting from beneath the stylized mask he wore, covering her in the acidic mist and causing her to retreat once more. Asia was quick to begin purging the acid from the skin and system of Bennia, having repeated the process twice now after he utilized the attacks quite frequently.

Xenovia took a running start and leaped into the air before the massive, crystal green claymore in her right hand began to glow with an ancient, almost timeless energy before it was released downwards at Orcus.

Just as the Grim Reaper standing against the mother of Thanatos and his followers was about to dodge, Nyx opened a portal into the outer cosmos directly over his knees, removing both of his legs from the thigh downwards. Black blood began to cover the ground as his helpless torso fell to the ground before the massive crescent of glimmering, green light overcame him and exploded with the force of a bunker buster.

A twenty foot wide crater appeared in the center of the battleground shared by the five beings, a heavily wounded but rapidly recovering being phasing through the rubble before revealing undamaged legs and clothing. His baleful scythe hungered, the swirling, damned souls swirling around the blade screaming in anger at those who stood against their master.

"Tch." Bennia growled before jumping back to stand with Asia, Xenovia and Nyx, who all began to go through their options.

"He just keeps getting back up. That has to have been the fifth time we've killed him." Xenovia was displeased by the tides of the battle, even with a Primordial on their side.

Nyx had flung him into the far reaches of space, yet he returned with a vengeance seconds later. Bennia had decapitated the robed figure, yet his body fought on while his head floating behind him obediently.

Asia had impaled him on her cannon and fired it at maximum, leaving a massive, smoldering hole where his torso used to be, yet he continued to fight.

Nyx hummed thoughtfully, swiping her blade downwards to deflect the scythe of Orcus before she stabbed it forward, allowing the blade to split into hundreds of hungry shards of metal and crystal once more. Many of the metal shards embedded themselves within the throat and face of the masked Reaper, piercing through the heavy materials that made up his facial protection.

Pulling backwards on the hilt of her blade, she pulled the body of Orcus towards her along with the shards of her weapon embedded within him. Bennia poised her weapon low, fired up the thrusters that hid within the coffins hanging around her shoulders before she disappeared quicker than her fellow Sisters remembered her capable of.

Multiple afterimages trailed after the petite, purple haired Grim Reaper before her blade began to glow the same shade as her hair.

Dozens upon dozens of images of Bennia began to line up and surround her father before he felt his head impact the ground once more.

His torso was ripped to shreds and his limbs soon joined him upon the ground, black blood causing the ground beneath them to become muddy, the concrete having long been turned to gravel from the fight between them all.

Bennia returned to her position, neither panting nor really bothered by the display of speed. Her scelera had begun to bleed into a black color while her golden iris became close to hot pink, a sign that she had tapped further into her abilities as a Grim Reaper.

Two wisps of smoke rose from her shadow before they became more solid, forming two figures that mimicked not only her weapons, but her coffins as well.

"I was right..." Nyx allowed her left hand to raise to her face, thoughtfully tracing her bottom lip with her index finger before smiling serenely, "Do not worry, children, I will be back momentarily."

Asia, Bennia and Xenovia watched as Nyx disappeared into a tear in the Cosmos before nodding their heads wearily in unison.

"Tag Team Bravo-2?" Xenovia questioned as she readied the Holy Moonlight, her gift from Minato, and Durandal, the blade she had trained to wield her entire life.

With a snort of amusement, Asia had to stop herself from laughing out loud at the suggestion before she nodded her head in consent. Her eyes twinkling in amusement, she once more dismissed her large black and white cannon and unsheathed her sickle, readying herself from another close encounter.

"I call lead." Bennia made her opinion known before she rushed towards her father once more, her scythe vibrating in anticipation almost enough to cause it to hum.

Asia was directly behind her and as Bennia swiped low at his waist, Asia jumped over the smaller girls shoulders and swiped at his torso with her sickle. Feeling his right arm no longer responding, Orcus was not able to swing his weapon in time to stop the massive, green blade of Xenovia from impaling his chest as she appeared from between Asia and Bennia as they scattered left and right. A quick charge of energy built up in the blade before exploding outwards, sending Orcus spiraling head over heels away from the three.

The imposing masked figure rose quickly from his down position, his cloak nor body showing a lick of damage from the attacks he tanked from the three Sisters of the Sable Church.

'Again?' Bennia thought bitterly, having grown more and more tired of the fight as it continued. She was unaware of her father having the ability to shrug off death as if it were a minor inconvenience, figuring it to be a new development. She didn't like it, not one bit.

She knew the feeling her father usually gave off during combat from when she was younger, but now, it was almost as if he were a completely different person. She had only been gone half a year, but it felt like forever as she once more faced down the being she hated the most.

Forever wasn't a large enough gap in contact between the two, in her opinion.

'Momma, I hope you know what you're doing.' Bennia frowned and readied herself for combat once more, feeling Asia and Xenovia flare their energies higher as they too prepared.

The fighting was brought to a halt, however, when massive roars began to echo throughout Hell in different increments.

Shadowed beings with circular, white eyes began to appear in the skies and along the ground en masse, beings familiar to the three as the Sable began to attack with a savage ferocity more fitting a mindless beast.

The Sable were not responsible for the roaring, however. The three Sisters felt their jaws dislocate themselves and drag downwards as three massive Dragons appeared on the horizon with another massive wave of flying beings behind them, their bodies and wings twisted and gnarled in an almost unnatural way.

Each Dragon was a different color and origin, one being western looking while the other two were stylized like the eastern Dragons of China.

The western Dragon was solid black with three heads and scales that glistened purple in the burning light of Hell. Behind him was an army of smaller, equally black dragons along with two different forms of being only Bennia seemed to recognize.

One of the eastern Dragons was made of what appeared to be molten flame, his mane of floral like arms tracing behind him, leaving streaks of magma to fall upon the already burning landscapes below. Behind him were beings with blue skin and six arms each, all flying on what appeared to be floating carpets and strange metal, circular vehicles.

The final Dragon was golden and black with strange glyphs etched into the surface of his body. His scales each bore a seal glowing black, only allowing small glimpses of gold to show from the shadows covering his body. Behind him was an army of Dragons that appeared to be clones of one another, each bellowing obscenities and screaming profanities.

The servants of Death were forced to bring their attention back to the battle as Orcus once more made himself known, trying to bring his weapon down on the head of Bennia with barely concealed malice. " _Do not take your eyes from me, my child."_

Bennia growled and threw her head forward, slamming her forehead into his mask hard enough to shatter the heavy material and embed shards of his mask into his face from the impact.

"Shut the _fuck_ up." Bennia snarled before she repeated the process, ignoring the pain in her head as she drove him back with only her skull before swiping at his waist with her scythe. Her blade passed cleanly through his body, though there was no resistance like before.

Her blade passed harmlessly through his body, causing Bennia to frown before disengaging. Since when the hell could her father become intangible?

When Orcus dropped to his knees clutching his chest in pain instead of continuing his assault, Bennia took that as the signal before placing the scythe around his throat after leaping over his downed form.

Nyx appeared a second later, a look of elation on her face as she displayed a shriveled, blackened heart in the palm of her hand, still beating away at a rate that could only denote cardiac arrest. _"I stole his heart."_

Bennia snorted in amusement before she looked downwards at her father in contempt. "I've been waiting for this a long time now, old man."

She didn't hesitate before tugging upwards with her blade. The head of Orcus fell to the ground and rolled until it collided with the feet of the petite Grim Reaper, who curled her lips in disgust before punting the offending object as far away from her as she could.

When the flying head collided with a stray Keres and caused her to veer off course and slam into a Grim Reaper, Bennia and Asia clapped excitedly. When the Grim Reaper struggled and impaled himself upon the rebar from one of the ruined buildings around the four, even Nyx began to clap in appreciation.

"I'd give it a six." Xenovia shrugged, causing the petite Grim Reaper to turn to her and give her the stink eye.

"That was easily a ten. Stuff it like your bra, cow tits."


	49. The End of the Beginning

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **4**_ _ **9**_ _ **,**_ _ **The End of the Beginning**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 _ **I am very sorry for the extended wait on this chapter.**_

 **[EX]**

Kuroka looked over the landscape from high above the rest, a frown etched upon her normally jovial face as she watched the chaos below unfold. Long, black hair fluttered in the wind, her two cat ears twitching every so often as she listened to the sounds of the battles raging both above and below her.

Resting her back against one of the tower walls of Holle Behalten, the black haired Nekoshou began to gather as much natural energy as she could handle before releasing the restraints she kept on her body.

Ultraviolet sigils began to trace along her exposed flesh while a yin-yang symbol began to glow just above her mostly exposed bosom, directly in the center of her chest. The yin-yang sigil began to spin counter clockwise before the yin and yang broke apart and disappeared completely, causing the internal energies of the eldest Nekoshou to skyrocket to a level she didn't like revealing.

Tapping into her natural abilities as a Bishop, twenty or so magical circles engraved themselves upon the skyline and began to release massive volleys of purple flames and beams of concentrated lightning colored violet towards the many enemies still hanging in the air around Hells Keep.

After ensuring that she took down a large enough force to give her some breathing room to fly, Kuroka tapped into the Devil energy hiding beneath the waves of Senjutsu enhanced Chakra and allowed her body to change ever so slightly towards her acquired nature.

Thin, black wings erupted from the small of the Nekoshou turned Devils back, granting her the ability of flight once more as she leaped into the air and initiated a steep nosedive towards the nearest group of enemies, the large bells around her waist denoting her entrance as she streaked across the sky like a missile.

Namely, directly towards the group of enemies that her little sister was about to engage with the rest of her Peerage at her back. The inclusion of the Sitri Peerage was no surprise to the eldest Nekoshou, knowing that Rias and Sona were awfully close despite how often they tried to pretend they were bitter rivals at the dinner table.

Minato had drawn the two groups of Devils together and made a large, dysfunctional family out of them, whether they knew it or not.

"HELLO!" Kuroka shouted cheerfully as she gathered a massive amount of dark Senjutsu chakra within her fist before releasing it into a shock wave aimed in a cone towards the gathered Keres and Reapers as she impacted into the ground like a meteor, just as she had seen Minato do time and time again, "GOODBYE!"

"Kuroka, no." Came the dull voice of the physically enhanced white haired Nekoshou as she punched away one of the bird women that attempted to lurch towards her sisters throat, "Don't do that. Ever again."

"Pfft, that was actually kind of fun nya~, you should try it some time." Kuroka teased as she raked her claws through the throat of one of the foes that dared get too close, "Think Minato noticed from where he is?"

Kuroka pointed behind her in a random direction, namely towards where the invasion forces were still drifting into Hell from. A large, winged figure was making his way towards the many dragons that were flying towards them all, drifting almost lazily on the wind flinging lightning bolts every which way as he went.

"He looked this way," Koneko assured her elder sister, performing a flying kick to remove the head of one of the skeletal warriors attempting to sneak up behind her before sweeping low and shattering the ankles of two others standing a bit too close to the now taller white haired Nekoshou, "I saw him notice us."

"Very good," Kuroka purred as she watched Issei, Gasper, Irina and Saji make short work of yet another swathe of invading forces congregating in the industrial district of Lilith, "Hear that boys and girls? _Senpai noticed us._ "

If there was one thing that would raise the fighting spirit of desperate Kohai flocked together, it was being noticed by their collective Senpai.

The situation didn't seem quite as desperate as before, especially not when black and white figures that stood eight feet in height began to descend from the sky upon unnaturally shaped and shaded dragons, all spilling from the wicked looking castle now floating in the sky.

"What am I looking at?" Tsubaki almost seemed terrified of the wickedly armed beings as they began to engage the Grim Reapers and Keres en masse with what appeared to be Valkyries backing them up, "Please tell me they are on our side?"

"Yeah," Even Kiba didn't seem keen on spending time getting any closer to the widely smiling, phantasmal figures that couldn't decide if they wanted to be a solid or gas, "I don't recognize the weaponry those things are wielding, they clearly aren't Demonic or Angelic."

"Relax, everyone," Came the lazy voice of Bennia, "Those are the Sable, created by Master to fight against Hades."

The purple haired Grim Reaper strode happily into the small clearing surrounded by rubble and refuse, Asia, Xenovia and Nyx hot on her heels as if chasing after the minute being.

The tight, leather outfit that the petite girl wore, designed after Xenovia's original battle gear, was torn in multiple places and seemed to be barely holding together from the bout with Orcus that the three sisters recently ended. The same could be said of Xenovia's outfit as she dashed into the clearing behind the purple haired Grim Reaper, her two claymores raised in preperation to strike down anything and everything that stood in her way.

Asia was the most subdued of the three as she strode not quite confidently into the clearing behind Xenovia, Nyx standing by her side with a small, pleased smile on her face as she helped correct the black face veil that Asia wore over her face while attending her duties as High Priestess of the Sable Church.

"You can't just run off like that without saying anything, Bennia!" Xenovia chastised loudly before turning to address the Devils gathered to fight for their homeland, "Hello, all. I hope everything is well?"

"We will be fine, Xenovia," Rias addressed the blue and green haired Executioner of Death as she moved to stand at the side of Issei, eying the strange, green claymore that she wielded in her off hand as if it were meant to be there, "How has this eventful evening found you?"

"We have tried our best to keep the damage to a minimum and help citizens evacuate while engaging the enemy." Xenovia sighed heavily while stabbing the green, crystalline claymore into the ground while resting Durandal upon her shoulder, "Asia is getting pretty tired from trying to heal so many people, doesn't help that you can't even see where they're wounded. We came across someone we couldn't kill, it was looking pretty bad until Momma Nyx showed up."

"Damn Grim Reapers," Issei spat as he scuffed his armored foot into the ground, slightly cratering the area around him before his head shot up quickly, "Not you though, Bennia, you're cool."

"Damn straight I'm cool, ultra pervert." Bennia gave him a rather smug grin while causing the floating, glowing scythes on either side of her to spin in place before performing a double helix around her, "I stole my sperm donors weapon while Grandma stole his heart!"

"Look, it's so tiny and shriveled!" Nyx still held onto the withered organ, now turned into stone through whatever form of magic it was that the elder Primordial employed, "Just like his soul was!"

"I'm not sure what to make of this," Saji said slowly while looking towards Sona for guidance, the many Absorption Lines drifting around his body wriggling in discontent at not having a living skeleton to deplete of its life energy, "You go around stealing hearts often, Grandma Night?"

"I do try not to, but alas it happens from time to time," Nyx giggled into her palm while storing the shriveled, blackened heart away in the void where most Gods and Goddesses stored objects they were not holding, "Such is the price of unearthly beauty."

"No one better say a word." Asia was the one to cut off the comments from the three men present amongst the mostly female crowd, "Especially you, Issei."

"Hey, I offense to that take." Issei spoke gibberish in his quick attempt at defending himself, such was his lechery when he was caught staring at the deep valleys offered by the bosom of the Mother of Death.

"I'm sure you do, cupcake," Gasper patronized him, tapping him on the head gently as if teasing a puppy, "We still have work to do, ladies, let's get this show moving so I can get a shower. I need to change, like, now."

"Like, let's do this thing!" Irina shouted with gusto while choosing the direction their large group would carve out, dashing forward with her blade held high, "To war, or whatever!"

"TO WAR OR WHATEVER!"

"Damn it, Issei."

 **[EX]**

"Yeah, boiiii~!" Odin shouted cheerfully as he drove his spear into the eye of a flying skeletal dragon, barely needing to apply force to re-kill the beast with his blade, "This is my kind of party!"

"My lord, please, at least pretend to be a normal God of War!" Shouted Ein, the blue haired Einherjar that weaved his legend in ages long past, "Or as normal as a God can be!"

"Pfft, nah," Odin twisted his blade and withdrew it with a twirling flourish, using the motion to send a beam of energy in a crescent towards the large amount of floating Grim Reapers around him, "That would be boring, and we all know what happens when Gods get bored."

"Yeah, let's not talk about that," Came a voice to his right, revealing the silver haired Sigmund as he swung the recently retrieved Gram through the crowd with gusto, having taken his blade back from the ungrateful descendent of his that inherited it, "The Valkyries are still borderline mutinous after the last debacle, we don't want them _actually_ defecting to Death's faction."

"That would be a disaster." Odin stated seriously as he swung Gungnir downwards once more, tearing a large crevice into the already damaged roadway he was floating above, "Let's try and prevent that from happening."

"FOR THE D!"

"FOR DEATH!"

Far above the three chatting men, waves upon waves of the flying, angry women bearing spears and spells began to tear into the forces daring to invade Devil territory, arriving just minutes after Rossweisse began to rally them after receiving news from Kuroka.

"It's too late," Odin murmured to himself as he dropped to his knees before slowly lowering his head to rest upon the rubble, "He's... he's gone and taken my bitches. _All_ of my bitches."

"They aren't... you know what, maybe they _should_ defect. Maybe _I_ should defect." Sigmund murmured thoughtfully as he watched the skies continue to fill with vengeful spirits that chose who lived and who died upon the battlefields of Europe, "Food for thought, I suppose."

"Less talking, MORE DEATH!" Shouted Ein as he continued swinging his yellow, lightning bolt shaped blade through the crowds of skeletons, a rather happy smile etched upon his unusually youthful face to be amongst those who called Valhalla their home, "YES, YES, YES! YESSSS!"

"Holy shit, dude, chill out," Odin grumbled as he rose quickly, knowing that this was hardly the time for moping, "Even I don't get a battle boner that bad."

"A... Battle Boner, sir?" Sigmund questioned before glancing at the waist of both men just to check, only to come to a horrific realization that _voila_ , both men sported erections.

"I'm resigning from my post after this, I hope you know."

"Do it, you baby back bitch, make my day. You can't hang with the big dogs."

 **[EX]**

"What's the situation looking like, Ajuka?" Sirzechs questioned with his arms resting behind his back, watching the battle unfolding around him as his Peerage made short work of the cannon fodder being thrown unto the front lines, "Grim?"

Despite his desire to jump into the fray, Ajuka had asked him to hold off and allow his many soldiers to fight for now.

"I swear to my ancestor, if you don't stop with those damn bone, skeleton or reaper puns, I am going to shove my calculations up your ass." Ajuka snapped as he looked up from the hard-light screen that floated before him, a construct of his magic that relayed information to the server being used to store most of his constantly updated theories and experimental logs, "Things are actually looking great right now. Most of the initial invasion forces are being mopped up around the central portion of Lilith and the outlying districts. The Norse have sent reinforcements by way of the Valkyries and Einherjar and the Youkai have sent a large platoon of really, really angry Tengu to take care of the Grim Reapers."

"That's good to hear." Sirzechs sighed before removing his hands from behind his back, "You know what we have to do, right?"

"Are you talking about Zekram, or the leader of the Phenex family? Perhaps both?" Ajuka sighed just as heavily as his oldest comrade, looking back downwards though he seemed to stare through the screen rather than the information flashing across it, "Because I'm aware of what needs to be done. We have obvious traitors in our midst."

"That you do," Came a rather cheerful voice from behind the two, though they did not tense as the figure approached, "Why am I not surprised to see you two lazing about while Hell is reduced to a sweltering inferno?"

"Ah, Tiamat, I was wondering when I would see you again," Ajuka greeted the recently introduced figure without turning to glance at her, "You came just in time for the show of the century, so to speak."

She was a gorgeous figure, dressed in nothing but what appeared to be a thong stretched across her wide, motherly hips. Two small, aqua colored wings stretched from beneath her bosom and curled upwards, covering the _very_ generous orbs of flesh and scale beneath the leathery appendages, hiding her bust but revealing enough to make a man weak with nary a glance.

Knee high cloth stretched across her creamy, pale flesh, rectangular and uneven in an almost futuristic fashion, colored in black like the choker she wore around her throat. Two massive horns curled from atop her head, one going left and down while the other curled right and down, only to curl inwards towards her body and then back out again just past her shoulders.

Her hair was a shade of silverish-aqua and shimmered like the sea, much like the pale, green eyes that peeked from behind her long bangs. Tattoos of six wings surrounded her belly button, glowing the same shade as her eyes and hair.

"A show, then?" She questioned with amusement coloring her tone, leaning forward while placing her right hand upon her hip, "You aren't my type, either of you. You're too small, and you have erectile dysfunction."

She pointed an accusatory finger from Sirzechs to Ajuka, both of who looked deeply ashamed by her words before each flipped the Dragon Goddess off.

"Pfft, you know Grayfia would kill me." Sirzechs waved his hands as if to say he wasn't interested while Ajuka merely shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't stick my dick in crazy. I don't have erectile dysfunction either, by the way, that was just my excuse to not sleep with you five hundred years ago."

"You are an ass of epic proportions." Tiamat snarled as she withdrew her remote and pointed it at the back of his head, wanting so badly to press the pause button and freeze the man in his place but eventually restrained herself from lashing out like she would have not even a century before, "Speak, Ajuka, your Goddess demands it."

"Wow, have you been hanging out with Ophis or something?"

"No, but perhaps I should, she seems to have calmed down much since she started her little jaunt with Thanatos." Tiamat gave a small hum under her breath as she leaned over the shoulder of Ajuka, "I hear that they have a hatchling together."

"They did and didn't," Ajuka rolled his shoulders, doing his best to try and get the gorgeous woman hanging onto his back to try and hang off of someone else, "We were just talking about sacking the Great King and absolving the Phenex Family of their status as a member of the Ars Goeta. Want to come along?"

"Would I _ever_." Tiamat was incredibly pleased with how the two were so nonchalant about killing the defacto shadow leader of the Devil faction, "Has he finally crossed the line he promised he wouldn't?"

"He has and more, I'm afraid." Ajuka admitted sadly as he looked down at the hard-light screen gracing him with the projections from his servers, "Our numbers are holding strong, but the Devils of the Old Satan Faction have started overwhelming us at the outskirts of each large city we have under our control."

"Seems kind of odd." Sirzechs commented off-handedly as Tannin, Queen of Mephisto, began to torment the many false dragons that dared to invade his little portion of the Gremory territory, "How many traitors do you think there are?"

"Just one is too many." Ajuka turned his sad gaze towards his oldest comrade before standing and stretching his back, "I say we get this wrapped up, yeah?"

"Yeah..." Sirzechs murmured sadly while looking down at his hands, each spread out before him, "Let's get this over with."

 **[EX]**

Minato took a deep breath as he continued flinging black bolts of lightning left and right, doing his best to take down as many of the larger dragons and the stronger Keres as he could from his position in the sky. The presence of the Keres and Grim Reapers was becoming less and less powerful, denoting just how badly the Devils began to fight back upon the summoning of Satan just fifteen minutes prior.

Despite being completely brimming with energy, Minato was feeling slightly lethargic as he continued to fight against the massive numbers of beings being thrown at him.

One strike, two, three more were struck down with the blade of the Anti-Longinus but six more took their place. Another heavily empowered sweep of his weapon saw his mana levels dropping slightly as another massive wave of lightning erupted from his blade.

Watching from his peripheral vision from his only good eye, Minato saw as one of the golden and black dragons turned on the other and began to viciously tear into their throat, doing their absolute best to kill the thinner, longer dragon.

The solid black dragon that was covered in horns and barbs ignored the fighting between the two golden and black dragons, instead being beset upon by two beings that Minato specifically remembered asking to sit out the fighting.

Ophis and Lilith would surely make very short work of their opponent.

That took care of all three beings before Minato so much as had to raise his hands to do anything, leaving him free to go after Hades in the Land of the Dead.

Opening a churning tear in reality large enough to transport him, Minato pushed through and found himself hanging in the air just outside of Hades Castle, located in the heart of the Land of the Dead.

Not a single Grim Reaper stood guard of the normally locked down building, showing just how large the invasion force was that besieged Hell less than an hour before. Pursing his lips in thought, Minato did his best to get a read upon those dwelling within the castle, causing him to almost lurch from the sky when he began to receive life signature after life signature back from his probe.

Somehow, Hades was housing over one hundred thousand beings within the castle, though most of them felt as if they were mere infants and barely holding onto life.

A sick feeling crept up his spine, one that Minato had only felt once before. It was for this reason that Minato raced down to ground level, not bothering to pause for a moment as he sliced his way through the massive, golden doors that were erected to keep out intruders.

Gold and black decorated the foyer and hallways as Minato dashed from one hallway to the next, going down one floor at a time as he continued to feel his way through the large building created to house a God.

After a few moments of running blind at speeds he wasn't usually capable of achieving, Minato finally came to a halt before a massive set of laboratory doors, sterile white and completely out of place inside of an ancient castle built to house an equally ancient God. Drawing in a deep breath, Minato prepared himself for the worst, passing his Anti-Longinus from his right hand to his left as he reached out to pry the two doors apart.

After making sure that the two doors couldn't try and seal him inside by completely destroying them with his enhanced strength, Minato turned his attention into the laboratory and nearly threw up in his mouth from what he was seeing.

Rows upon rows of cylindrical glass tubes lined the room with a singular, larger tank holding within it the body of a woman. It seemed that each of the tanks holding the smaller bodies of the children being held in suspended animation were fed liquid that was filtered from the main tank in the center of the room.

Moving forward to stand in front of the central tank, Minato didn't notice as his grip became shaky, almost dropping the spear as he took in the features of the woman.

Long, ebony colored hair spilled from her head, splaying outwards in a halo around her. Half lidded, pink eyes stared outwards blankly, incapable of sight due to the state of suspension she was being held in. A long, whip-like tail with what appeared to be a heart upon the end stretched from her lower back, as did six small bat-like wings not unlike a Devils. Two long, black horns pierced upwards from her forehead, yet another sign that she wasn't quite a Devil despite having many similar traits.

Her body was healed but heavily scarred in certain places, wound inflicted from combat and not through torture or accidents.

From the central tube containing the oddly familiar woman, Minato counted over one hundred tanks filled with a developing baby, though quite a few of them no longer held the spark of life that the others held.

Proto-Devils. Somehow, Hades had found a Proto-Devil woman and had begun to create children from her genetic information, likely in an attempt to create beings solely loyal to him.

The Grim Reapers were originally created by Big D, so it was no surprise that the God of the Dead would eventually want to create his own species to inhabit the land and answer to his beck and calls.

That begged the question of just why Hades, who _hated_ Devils, would want to even clone a Proto-Devil woman, likely the last remaining link of those that existed after Demons but before actual Devils.

Growling lowly in his throat, Minato had half a mind to destroy the laboratory but stopped himself from raising his weapon. Killing the children before they could be born was just as cruel as allowing them to live, knowing that they were likely to be sought out by the Devils and the world around them for things beyond their control.

Minato did the only thing he could think of.

"Lucifer, come," Minato intoned while reaching inwards, tugging at the brilliant, golden thread that connected the Morning Star and himself, "Please."

A flash of white light saw Lucifer standing before Minato, a few droplets of blood staining his usually impeccable white clad body.

"You rang, My Lord?" Lucifer dropped to a knee as he spoke, seeing the unusually morose expression upon his leaders face. The blond Father of All Devils looked upwards when Minato gestured behind him while taking a deep breath, causing his heart to lurch as he almost leaped upwards in shock.

"Lucifer, I don't know who she is, but I have a feeling you do." Minato murmured as the chaotic energy of Satan began to slowly dwindle down, causing the horns sprouting from his crown to shorten significantly, "I need to find Hades, please take care of this for me. Do not, under any circumstances, let this get out to anyone else but those loyal to me."

"As you command, My Lord." Lucifer rose and collapsed a fist over his heart, a deadly serious expression on his face as he looked upwards and behind the being he swore to serve until he was no longer wanted, "I shall take my... wife and her brood home." His voice choked up and he looked as if he were having a hard time breathing, likely from both the sorrow and rage he was feeling in that very moment.

Minato did not know how such a thing was possible, but he never would have guessed that Hades, of all beings, would have held _Lilith_ , Mother of All Devils, within his home, let alone for him to start breeding her.

It was absolutely disgusting and it made Minato's blood boil, almost literally as steam began to escape his lips.

"I am sorry, my friend," Minato spoke as he reached out, placing his left hand upon the shoulder of the blond Fallen, "We will do our best to help her. All of us."

He meant it. The Protogenoi took care of their own, and Lucifer had proven that he was loyal to Minato time and time again. Despite the disagreements between Lucifer and Lilith on how they believed Rizevim should have been raised, Lucifer loved his wife more than he loved his father and it hurt him to know that she had been alive this entire time.

The blond set to work immediately, running a diagnosis spell over the large, open room to determine the health of those housed within the tanks lining the walls, his lips drawn into a thin line as he furiously typed away at the hard-light keyboard that sprung up before Lilith's tank.

Minato backed from the room slowly, watching one of his oldest companions do his work with silent tears spilling from his sky blue eyes. Spinning on his heel, Minato turned away from the heart wrenching scene and did his best to control the anger he felt on behalf of the Father of All Devils.

Taking the next flight downwards, the returned God of Death began to cast as many reinforcement spells upon his armor, body and weapons as he could handle, doing his best to be prepared for whatever was waiting for him in the basement.

The closer and closer he drew towards the bottom floor, however, the stranger the feeling hanging in the air became. Just outside of the room Minato was sure housed the ritual room of Hades stood a being that gave Minato pause, though not due to any form of intimidation.

Minato honestly didn't know what he was looking at, but he could feel the powerful Holiness emanating outwards from the twisted being, easily on par with both Michael and Gabriel alike.

His, or her, face was pale white with golden lips. Deep, black makeup surrounded the teal colored eyes of the strange being, sharpening the stern look upon their face tremendously as they rose up to their full height of some seven foot upon seeing Minato slowly walking down the steps before it.

Two large, golden and white wings erupted from the crown of the being, jewels embedded at odd intervals throughout the fleshy looking wings. The being lacked hair completely, instead having a small crown of gold erupt from its flesh atop its head.

The robes hanging from the shoulders of the being was not even a set of robes, somehow having a snarling face resting above their navel while attached to the strange cloth that hung around their fleshy body.

Breasts rested upon the chest of the being, exposing golden areola to the world as the cloth did not conceal their strange body in the least. Two more arms stretched from the back of the strange golden and white being, one holding yet another twisted head while the other was curled upwards, holding steady the two blades that were held beneath either of the figures praying arms clasped beneath their breasts.

Minato got the impression that this being was one you were supposed to find in Heaven, but the heavily twisted and mechanical looking body it sported gave him other ideas about its true nature.

"Who are you?" Minato questioned while raising the Anti-Longinus to point it in the direction of the being rising to meet his gaze, "Do you work for Hades?"

The being laughed, a strange, dual toned voice that was both masculine and feminine at once.

When it became obvious that the being did not intend to answer his question, Minato began to channel his energy actively through the many seals upon the Anti-Longinus, causing the weapon to spark and thrash violently with black sparks. "Speak, or step aside."

The twisted being of gold and white eventually stopped laughing, the glowing, spiky halo above its head glowing brightly before dying down into a dull spark of light comparatively. "I am Merkabah, The Lord's Chariot. You have come here seeking Hades, yes?"

"I have," Minato nodded wearily, his armor impacting together from the small movement, "Are you to be my opponent in his stead? Has Heaven betrayed me as well?"

"It is the Will of the Lord to strike you down as you are now," Merkabah continued to keep the two hands holding the golden sphere pressed together as a strange light began to emit from its crown once more, "I am to remove the stain you bring the world, Anti-Christ. Just as the darkness is pierced by the light, your defeat here at my hand is to be part of the natural order."

"Do _what_ now?" Minato reeled back at the latest title given to him, this time by a being that had absolutely no right to go around calling people unholy due to its appearance, "I am _not_ the Anti-Christ."

"Says the being whom both Lucifer and Satan call Master," Merkabah sneered, their twisted face drawing upwards to show their disgust as the amount of energy they were holding within their body skyrocketed once more, "I shall cleanse your soul of the Darkness of Man and deliver you unto Father, Rebellious Son of God. He awaits you at the End of the World and I shall not make Him wait."

Minato wasn't allowed to take a breath as the being was upon him, beautiful light spilling from his opponents hands in the shape of a sword as they hurled towards him.


	50. The Beginning of the End

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **50, The Beginning of the End**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 _Tiamat is based off of Beast II, yes._

 **[EX]**

Whoever this Merkabah being was, they were much stronger than Minato was expecting from an Angel, putting up as much of a fight as Nemesis as Minato pushed back against the light blades conjured by the twisted being.

The force behind each swing was almost enough to cause his arms to buckle beneath the weight but the heavy enhancements to his strength that his internal energies brought allowed him to redirect Merkabah's glowing blade before it could pierce through his armor and heart.

Knowing better than underestimating his opponents after the little surprise of Eris and Nemesis, Minato began to form a plan upon realizing just how much damage it was going to take to put down the gnarled being that dared to impede his path to Hades. Unlike Nemesis and Eris, Merkabah did not appear to be of flesh and blood, instead metallic enough to redirect his blade on all but the most powerful of swings.

Leaping right to avoid the biting, snarling tail of the heavenly being, Minato span the Anti-Longinus in his right hand once before using the blade to strike downwards towards the shoulder of Merkabah, causing the being to abandon its own attack to block the black blade of Minato. Glowing spears of light began to appear in the air around the two before launching forward, attempting to skewer Minato before he opened multiple tears in reality around him.

Each of the blades passed through the portals and disappeared into the Abyss, unable to connect with the heavily armored body of Minato as he continued to press the Anti-Longinus against the heavily glowing sword of light wielded by Merkabah.

Occupying the main hands of the being by keeping them deadlocked allowed Minato to snap his armored right foot forward, slamming into the face held just beneath the exposed bosom of Merkabah and pushing the golden, white and black being back by a few feet.

Their back slammed into the wall heavily, causing the reinforced stone wall to splinter as Merkabah rolled forward and away from the falling stones, just out of the path of the Anti-Longinus as it stabbed forward and through the splintered wall that the Chariot of God previously held its back to.

Swiping both palms towards Minato while sweeping its tail along the ground, Merkabah came extremely close to the throat of his opponent as Minato dipped backwards to dodge an attack that could have taken off his head. After leaning backwards, Minato pulled both of his legs from the earth, jumping over the sweeping tail and pulling himself into a quick back flip before landing once more while stabbing forward with his Sword-Spear.

Calling upon his connection with the Chains of Sisyphus once used to bind him to Tartarus, Minato attempted to gore the being with the knife-tipped chains from behind as his spear pushed forward, only for them to clink against Merkabah's twisted flesh as they twisted out of the way of his main attack.

Allowing the chains to fade back into the shadows covering the hallway that Minato found himself fighting in, he did his best to come up with a new way to destroy his opponent without having to worry about collapsing the castle around him.

"Why do you fight me, Deceiver?!" Merkabah cried loudly as it dodged around yet another strike of the Anti-Longinus, knowing that the blade was more than strong enough to kill it, "Why have you turned your back upon your true nature, Rebellious Son of God? He had high hopes for your return!"

"This is the second case of mistaken identity I've been accused of within the last year," Minato admitted as he dodged around one of the glowing, white hands of Merkabah while drawing his Evoker from behind his back and putting it to his head, "I'm getting really sick of people thinking they know who I am better than I do."

Pulling the trigger of his Evoker twice, Minato called upon one of the few skills of Satan that he could use in such close quarters. The blue energy that sprung up when he first summoned the behemoth once more whipped around his body as his connection with the First King of Hell deepened once more.

"Debilitate! Black Viper!"

Three beams of sickly colored light sprung up around Merkabah, decreasing the strength, agility and defense of the twisted being so much that the next attack Minato landed would hopefully end it. Despite the large drop in strength that Merkabah experienced, however, it proved unable to weaken them enough to end the fight before Minato expended the internal energies he was struggling to keep under control.

Three orbs of purple flames slammed into the ground before Merkabah from a cloud of darkness that erupted from the ceiling, just before a large, twisting snake colored the same as the burning spheres tore from the ground and attempted to swallow him whole.

Merkabah released a massive wave of light from their body, dissipating the Black Viper attack before it could consume him whole, though it stopped short of making contact with the demonically enhanced figure that fought against it.

"You are weakened," Merkabah noted upon seeing the shaking hands of Minato, "Allow me to return you home to our Father, you may rest as much as you please in Kingdom Come."

"I am going to have to decline," Minato murmured as he rapped the end of the Anti-Longinus into the ground heavily, "I am not going anywhere with someone that looks like you."

Scoffing, Merkabah rose from their resting position while calling upon their blades once more, Holding one above their head while the other resting just before the face resting beneath their bosom.

"Father in Heaven, forgive me," Merkabah intoned as they began to pull upon as much of the holy energy circulating their body as they could, "Your child knows not what he says nor does."

"I'm not his child." Minato intoned almost apathetically as he swung the Anti-Longinus towards the stomach of the being facing him, "Despite being the Master of the Father of Lies, it is the truth when I say I will end you here should you not step aside. This is my final offering of parlay, as per my alliance with Heaven."

Merkabah did not answer him, instead releasing wave after wave of bountiful light energy at Minato in an attempt to remove his limbs. Minato dove backwards and into his churning shadow, only to appear behind his own opponent with his blade poised to strike at his neck as he swung forward.

It seemed Merkabah sensed him as the being tilted their head to the right, allowing the wide blade of the Anti-Longinus to soar over their head without even nicking their head-wings.

Minato swung again and again as he landed on the ground with nary a sound, only for the gnarled being to either dance out of the way or swing his light-swords at just the right angle to deflect the blade all together.

Finally, after being parried for the third time, Minato allowed his body to pivot on his left heel with the momentum of his blade as he swung low in a wide sweep, catching the mechanical-like being off guard and removing one of their legs at the knee completely.

Falling onto their side, Merkabah yelled out in pain before a massive surge of light erupted from their downed form, forcing Minato to back up and throw up a barrier around himself to prevent the attack from landing and blocking his already limited vision completely.

"Damn it," Minato growled lowly as he pulled upon more and more of the corrosive energy of Satan, his skin staining a further blue the stronger the connection between the two became, "I need to end this quickly and break the connection."

The boiling anger that roiled beneath his flesh was almost becoming too much for even the ever apathetic Minato to handle. With the anger came irrational thoughts and actions, something Minato couldn't afford at the moment as he confronted Hades.

"It will be over quickly. Do not worry, child," Merkabah chided as the light died down, revealing a fully healed opponent floating a few inches above the ground, a massive spear held in three of their four hands, "I am to deliver you to Father post-haste."

"Don't care," Minato admitted as he readied himself to dodge the projectiles appearing in the air around Merkabah, "You have to go back."

"I cannot return without you or your head. Father is waiting." Merkabah attempted to attack him once more, flinging orbs of light towards Minato with their free hand as he cartwheeled out of the way of the first orb while leaping completely over the second. Minato continued to dance around the attacks of his opponent before he closed the distance between them with a mighty flap of his eight leathery wings.

Minato crouched low beneath his opponent as his feet slid across the ground to slow him down, giving him scant seconds to prepare his attack before stabbing upwards, directly through the bottom jaw of his opponent. The long blade of the Anti-Longinus pierced his opponent completely, the tip of the blade erupting from where the crown of Merkabah grew from their flesh. "Please be silent, your voice is very annoying and this headache just won't go away."

Minato rose to his full, incredibly intimidating height of five foot six inches and lifted the body of Merkabah from the ground as he continued to slide along the rubble before slamming the tip of his spear downwards, pinning the false Angel through their skull unto the stone ground below while digging a mighty trench into the hallway the two found themselves locked in combat within.

A seal carved itself into the stones beneath the still body of Merkabah as they came to a halt, increasing the gravity the being might have felt one hundred fold to prevent them from attempting to flee, should they somehow heal themselves once more from their state of 'almost dead but not quite'.

A few seconds was all it took for Minato to rip the amalgam soul of Merkabah from the mechanical and flesh body that it inhabited, revealing a twitching golden and black soul that looked as fake as it felt. It was hardly sentient enough to be considered a soul and not a computer program designed to look like one.

"I knew you weren't a natural born Angel... this begs the question, however, on who created you?" Minato questioned the flickering soul as if it would answer his question before he crushed the phantasmal orb in his hand. The golden and black energy of Merkabah twirled and twisted around his arm before joining with his body and entering the Sea of Souls, much like the souls of Eris and Nemesis just an hour before.

Deciding it was better to question later, he instead gave a small farewell to the strange being who challenged him. "Pater est mortuus, Merkabah. _"_

Feeling yet another wave of exhaustion fall over him, Minato staggered and leaned against the undamaged portion of the wall to his left heavily just moments after speaking. Blinking blearily as he panted and doing his best to regain his breath before continuing onwards unto the Ritual Room of Hades, Minato could have sworn he saw the body of Merkabah twitch before growing still once more.

Finding that it would be better to be safe rather than sorry, Minato cast an Agidyne spell on the cooling corpse of the androgynous being, destroying it before it could rise and attempt to attack him once more. Considering that the homunculus was crafted of flesh and strange, metallic materials that seemed to be both alive and dead at the same time, it was not entirely impossible for the body to be accessed remotely to attack him once more.

Even without their soul to act as a power generator for the Light Engine embedded within the beings chest, Minato could tell that leaving such things lying around would only come back to haunt him once more.

Rolling his shoulders and casting an unnecessary yet very welcome healing and heating spell upon himself once more, Minato braced himself as he approached the massive, ebony double doors that impeded him once more.

A massive, violet sigil floating before the door, containing multiple rings within the central sigil with more than two hundred symbols and runes surrounding it. A skull bearing the symbol of the Ouroboros rested within the center of the sigil, denoting that it was Hades who controlled the seal.

Flapping the eight black wings that sprung from his shoulders and back, Minato was launched at incredible speeds towards the door with his spear held forward. A moment later saw the Anti-Longinus piercing the center of the skull, directly through the infinite symbol that denoted Hades control of the stolen power of Ophis.

Twisting the Anti-Longinus as if it were a key to the left, the seal that floated before the door began to twist counter-clockwise before eventually shimmering and breaking into millions of sparks of light. The Anti-Longinus trilled and sparked from the sudden influx of energy devoured from the seal before it siphoned towards Minato.

Drinking deeply from the provided energy, Minato felt the lethargy he was feeling lessen a great deal, allowing the massive headache he had felt since his eye was devoured by the Keres to lessen slightly.

Pulling his spear free from the now ruined, massive double doors, Minato pushed himself backwards and flipped to land on his feet. Landing heavily, he braced himself as he pulled the Evoker from his lower back once more before sending a message to Lucifer and Satan both through the memetic link that all Persona under his control shared.

Once Lucifer was finished dealing with removing the contents of the massive laboratory and transporting them to the Velvet Tower, he was to take the place of Satan and help clean up the remaining Grim Reaper and Keres still floating around Hell.

Placing his Evoker against his right temple, Minato didn't close his eyes as he pulled the trigger and forced the energy of Satan to return to the depths of his soul once more. Upon absolving their connection, the horns atop his head and the wings behind his back disappeared in sparks of blue, as did the heavy armor protecting his body until he once more stood in the bloody and ruined garb he wore during the conflict with Eris and Nemesis.

Returning the Evoker unto the holster upon his lower back, Minato snapped his fingers and called upon the Dress Create spell once more, destroying the bloodied garb hanging from his body and creating an outfit that Minato had only seen worn by one person and one person alone.

A tight, eight buttoned coat the same shade of blue as worn by those dwelling within the Velvet Room rested upon his shoulders, covering his body from neck to waist in the heavy material that made it up. Around his waist he wore cloth faulds that were asymmetrical, the long cloth of the faulds splitting at his waist and falling to the left and right with the left side hanging in front of his legs while the right side was tucked behind his leg. A large, fur lined collar colored white decorated the neck of his coat, the last notable difference between Big D's coat and Minato's.

Hanging on the outside of the trench coat was a large, leather holster in black that carried both revolvers of the Reaper, Mementoand Mori. White, leather gloves covered his hands and forearms, the seven-eighth sleeves of his trench coat the perfect length to end where they began.

Upon his hips rested black trousers and his heavy, black belt that carried the modified holster for his Evoker upon the small of his back. Tall, white boots covered his feet and ended a few inches above his knees. The heavy soles of the boots prevented the rubble and shrapnel around him from digging into his flesh as he took a few steps forward and looked up at the scarcely decorated ebony double doors.

Allowing the Anti-Longinus to fall into the churning halo-like shadow that was almost constantly present beneath his feet when he called upon his energy actively, Minato instead called upon a weapon he had wielded quite a few times before.

Beckoning forth Ars Moriendi,the short sword of Thanatos that may as well have been an odachi in his hands, Minato waited for the blade to push itself from the churning Abyss before pulling the blade and its sheathe from the waiting hands of the skeletal arms that held it.

Placing the sheathe of the blade upon his left hip, Minato corrected his stance into one more fit for iaijutsu before drawing the sword of Thanatos rapidly, slicing through the door numerous times before he slowly slid the blade back into its sheathe. Waiting for the door to fall to pieces, Minato gave a light laugh and whistled a jaunty, haunting tune as the heavy hunks of ebony hit the floor before stepping forward through the doorway.

It was time to end this conflict a thousand years in the making, once and for all.

 **[EX]**

Ophis snarled lightly as the being held within her jowls attempted to break free once more from her grasp, though the strength of their wriggling was becoming less and less as the moments went on.

Lilith occupied the furthest right head of the being while Ophis bit down into the throat of the central head of the horned Dragon. Having shifted their bodies into their Dragon God forms, Ophis and Lilith could almost be confused for twins if not for the silver and blue scales that shimmered upon the body of Lilith, inherited from her fathers own coloration.

"Begone, tiny wenches!" Azi Dahaka screamed in rage, his left head reaching out to slam into the body of Ophis, who merely snarled once more and batted the head away with one of her smaller wings.

Despite just how small her Dragon form was compared to many of the beings inhabiting earth, there was no doubt that Ophis was tied as the strongest Dragon in existence for a reason, as was her daughter.

No matter how much damage they inflicted upon his body, however, Azi Dahaka, also known as Zahhak during his thousand year reign of Persia, healed from every wound. No matter how much blood they spilled or flesh they tore from his throat and chest, Ophis and Lilith could not seem to kill him.

Ripping his throat out once more, Ophis backed off while pulling Lilith with her while spitting his disgusting flesh and scales from her mouth, quickly shifting into her smaller, human form to have an easier time dodging around the attacks of the being.

"This, is annoying." Ophis mumbled to herself as she watched Lilith fling ball after ball of silver flames towards the being, batting away his heads each time they rounded to belt flames in their direction, "He, won't die. Outside, help."

"Of course I can't die, you foolish wench," Azi Dahaka snarled as he continued to cast spell after spell at the two, doing his best to try and damage the miniscule beings that dared interrupt his rampaging, "I have tapped into a strength that not even you, the _infinite_ , can destroy!"

"Much, pride," Lilith murmured in response, not bothering to raise her voice to be heard, "Such, wow."

The tiny being was more intimidated by Asia's Sable Dragon than she was Azi Dahaka, especially due to the terrible wedgies that smaller dragon brought. As far as Lilith was concerned, this large, three headed being that called itself a Dragon was nothing more than a flea, albeit one that refused to die when its head was squished.

"This, isn't right," Ophis pulled her daughter out of the way of yet another attack before holding her free hand towards the Diabolism Thousand Dragon, sending waves upon waves of massive snake-like beings to attack Azi Dahaka and keep him occupied, "He, won't die."

"Hum, hum..." Lilith puttered under her breath in discontent upon dodging to the left while pushing her mother along the way, "We, can seal."

"We, can," Ophis eventually agreed while sending out a pulse of energy along the link she still shared with Kuroka and Vali, "I, have summoned backup."

"Goodie." Lilith punched one of the heads attempting to snap at her viciously, causing it to collide heavily with another head of Azi Dahaka, goring that head through the throat with four of its horns and rending its flesh.

Rivulets of blood fell from the massive, six winged and three headed Evil Dragon, enough to form a small river in the middle of the city of Lilith, washing away the battered skeletons and rubble from the destroyed buildings.

"Foolish, foolish brats!" Azi Dahaka roared defiantly while throwing his three heads back and spreading his six wings wide, hundreds of spell circles embedding themselves in the air around him as his energy levels began to steadily increase, "Bask in my glory and ruminate your demise!"

"Thousand Diabolic Spears!" The massive beast cried, sending wave after wave of heavily enchanted weapons more fit to be wielded by Dragon Riders than an actual Dragon. Many of the wicked blades bore down on Lilith and Ophis, dripping a crimson red that caused warning bells to sound in both of their minds as they called upon their massive energy pools to protect them.

Casting a spell taught to her by Minato during one of their many training sessions to control her strength, Lilith surrounded the two Dragon Gods in a shell of crystals, condensing her silvery, ephemeral energy into a physical construct with incredibly tightly bound latices. Due to how quickly the structure was erected, however, one of the spears pierced through the silver crystal barrier around the two where it was most brittle and narrowly missed piercing the side of the younger Dragon God.

"Good, thinking," Ophis complimented in her usual staggered fashion as if she had to think of each word she spoke, "Lily."

It was a shortening of her name, one that was easier for both Ophis and Lilith alike to say due to their odd manner of speaking.

"Thank, you," Lilith gave her mother a quick curtsey to show her appreciation for the praise, "Mama, can you, distract him?"

The two muttering Dragon Gods continued to conspire for a few moments before the barrier around the two shattered, the rain of spears subsiding and leaving the cityscape below them to look more of a battle field than before.

Rivers of blood were decorated by rubble, broken skeletons of Grim Reapers and the bodies of civilians who were not quite quick enough to get to the safe zones. Blades in the shapes of swords, spears and scythes littered the land and buildings while pinions of bone and feather decorated even further ahead.

From the scorch marks and vitrified, blackened dust present among the small clearings surrounding the ruined buildings, Ophis could tell that the two Peerages closest to her chosen partner had been through the area recently.

"Nyahaha~, I knew you would need my help eventually!" Kuroka announced cheerfully as she appeared beside the two scant seconds after the crystal barrier dropped, Vali following quickly behind as the white armor denoting his status as the White Dragon Emperor coalesced around his body.

"Quiet, cat," Ophis stated blandly as she levitated one of Azi Dahaka's spears from the rubble below to eye level before launching it towards him telepathically at speeds that surpassed anything a Devil would have been capable of, "We, need to seal him, away."

"Okay, Nya~," Kuroka agreed quickly, knowing that Ophis didn't like to play around with her opponents like she and Vali usually did, "How do you want to do this?"

"You, weaken him," Lilith pointed at Vali, speaking for her mother as Ophis continued to pull spear after spear from the earth below and launch them towards the massive body of Azi Dahaka, "We, will break him."

"And me?" Kuroka questioned as she sent her own attacks towards the Evil Dragon, dodging to the left as one of his large wings drove towards to gore her on the spiked appendage while Vali merely divided the strength behind the blow until it was nil, "Just seal him when you say?"

"Yes," Ophis agreed at last while calling upon a magic circle, a large amount of her mana being pulled into the circle greedily as it crackled with ultraviolet sparks, "Be, ready."

Azi Dahaka was not a happy Evil Dragon, not in the least.

His attack upon Hell was requested by the one who resurrected him, as was the rest of the Evil Dragons called back to the land of the living using the Sephiroth Graal. When questioned on just why the being would resurrect the strongest Evil Dragons in history and use them as a hostile expedition force, the being laughed in their two-toned voice and crowed on about creating a new kingdom from the ashes of his old empire.

It didn't help that the three headed Dragon was compelled to follow the beings command thanks to the manipulations of the Sephiroth Graal, only strong enough to raise his fighting spirit when it came to facing the Devils and those who called Hell home.

Two thousand years prior, Azi Dahaka had been sealed within the largest mountain of the Alborz range, Mount Damavand. After his previous capital fell to Fereydun and his human form struck down by the enchanted Ox-Headed Mace wielded by the once gentle teenager turned freedom fighter.

For two thousand years, Azi Dahaka the Diabolic Thousand Dragon, Zahhak the Ruler knew nothing of the outside world.

To find that Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God, had not only vacated the Dimensional Gap, but also spawned a scion was shocking. To end up at ends with the Infinite Dragon God and said hatchling was even more so.

Azi Dahaka, for all of his strength, even further enhanced by the Holy Grail, was no match for Ophis. To have her hatchling and two followers, one of which was the wielder of Divine Dividing, also attack him with gusto merely sealed his fate.

Against someone like the White Dragon Emperor, Azi Dahaka may have eventually won if the wielder was inexperienced, but with the type of backup that he had, it was no secret between them all who the stronger party was.

"No, no, no!" Azi Dahaka screamed childishly, his three heads thrashing violently as he began to beat his wings heavily towards the four in an attempt to get them away from him, "I don't want to go back! For thousands of years I've slept, dreaming of my revenge on the world! It's too soon!"

Attempting to ensnare the beings before him was futile as his energy would be pushed back into his own body by the forces of Ophis and Lilith alike, their presence more than enough to fend off the ethereal mental attacks that Azi Dahaka had come to rely upon.

Despite the temper tantrum of the Evil Dragon, however, it was not enough to stave off the attacks of Vali Lucifer, let alone when enhanced by his Balance Breaker.

Halving the energy of Azi Dahaka once had enhanced the abilities of Vali tremendously, causing his wings to shine brilliantly behind him as the scale mail upon his body began to glisten with a violet energy. Dividing the Evil Dragon twice saw Vali reaching his limit and forced him to release the powerful energy of the Evil Dragon into the air around him through his wings.

It was enough, however, and allowed Ophis to overpower the heavily enhanced being before having her snakes wrap around all three throats of Azi Dahaka. Pulling the energy within the snakes towards her hands, they became like leashes that she held to prevent the Dragon from getting away when Kuroka was ready to seal his soul.

Lilith contributed to holding Azi Dahaka in place as the black haired Nekoshou continued to pull upon as much of the chaotic energy flowing through Hell as she could handle.

Finally, the jewel within her hand flashed a deep purple as did most of the magic wielded by the Protogenoi, denoting that the sealing procedure could commence. Four magic circles sprang from the earth around the floating figures before sending spires of deep purple energy into the sky, surrounding the four even at their height.

Atop each of the spires was her magic circle, having been crafted by herself over years and years of studying Senjutsu, Youjutsu and every other type of technique relating to sealing that she could get her hands on. While sealing was more of Koneko's specialty, as long as Ophis and Lilith kept Azi Dahaka under control while she worked, Kuroka was confident that it shouldn't take long to put the overgrown lizard back in a cave somewhere, this time within a cramped jewel.

The eight seals along her magic circle came alive with light, each symbol flashing in a sequence that even Ophis and Lilith were having a hard time keeping track of as they continued in a rhythm they couldn't hear nor see.

Kuroka began to chant under her breath as she withdrew the massive jewel she would be using to house the soul of the Dragon, having had to stop by Holle Behalten to pilfer one of the many jewels from the Throne of Satan.

So what if the super nice throne was now missing its crown jewel, this was kind of important and Kuroka doubted Minato would care.

Unaware of just how many Devils were currently frothing at the mouth in anger due to her mishandling of their ancestral artifacts, Kuroka continued to chant until finally, her amber gaze became a shade of lilac as the energy within her reached critical levels.

Throwing her head back in a silent scream, the massive jewel held above her bosom ignited with the same disgusting shade of purple as Azi Dahaka's energy, signifying the linking of the two.

Continuing to divide the energy of the Evil Dragon after bleeding out the oily energy of the man once known as Zahhak, Vali did his best to help Kuroka along in the sealing process, having studied the techniques under her tutelage after showing an interest in the subject some many moons ago.

While he could never hope to seal away a being like Azi Dahaka by himself, learning how to help a master of the art certainly helped him learn how to use Divine Dividing better in both dividing the energy of his opponents and absorbing it within himself. Sealing was essentially the transference of energy from one vessel to another, though that was only for those starting a containment process and not sealing energy away to be used as an explosive, as Kuroka had attempted to teach him to do.

Vali had no interest in acting like a ninja, unlike the black haired Nekoshou that prided herself on her voluptuous form more so than any other woman he knew.

With a final silent scream, Kuroka felt the process come to an end as the soul of Azi Dahaka was removed from whatever source it was that kept him alive and his fleshy vessel, causing the body he once occupied to fall slack in the grip of Ophis and Lilith.

Panting heavily from having to use so much energy at once, Kuroka almost missed as her body flashed the same shade of ultraviolet as Minato's magic circles as of late.

Lilith was the one who caught the falling Nekoshou while Vali dove for the jewel, catching it only a second after it left the hands of Kuroka.

"Thank, you," Ophis turned to address the three, only to pause while looking at Kuroka and Lilith, "What?"

"Small, Kuro," Lilith muttered lightly as she poked the cheek of the now miniature sized Kuroka, "Ah, she looks, like Neko."

It was obvious that Lilith was referring to Koneko in that moment, as Kuroka had lost the voluptuous body that she prided herself on and in turn had reverted to what appeared to be her younger form, the same size as her little sister.

"Oh man, this is perfect," Vali laughed boisterously while snapping picture after picture of the now 'Fun sized' Kuroka, "Wait until Bikou sees this!"

Even when unconscious, Kuroka knew when she was being mocked. Her right hand twitched and the phone within Vali's grasp was crushed by a small application of gravity magic.

Ophis and Lilith both ignored the pained cries of Vali as he wailed about his now lost 'Noods', whatever those were, instead poking the cheek of the sleeping black haired Nekoshou curled up in the arms of Lilith.

Vali, Ophis and Lilith snapped their gazes back towards the west when three massive explosions of energy buffeted the skyline, forcing Lilith to turn her back to keep Kuroka steady in her arms from the heavy winds now battering against her.

"What, was that?" Ophis questioned as her brows knitted together, turning to face the direction she now felt the corrupted energy drifting from at a very discerning rate, "Sirzechs, Lucifer?"

Just why was the Crimson Satan's energy signature fading so quickly?


	51. Judgment Day

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **5**_ _ **1,**_ _ **Judgment Day**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Minato walked forward confidently, his shoulders squared as his left hand rested upon the sheath of Ars Moriendi. His lone silver eye took in the torches and sconces that lined the ebony colored walls, their blue flames growing stronger as he drew closer.

Statues of men and women alike were placed in between the sconces lining the walls, evenly spaced and without heads. The cursory glances that he gave them revealed nothing of their nature, indicating perhaps a mundane existence and not a magical form of defense like he would have expected from such a paranoid God.

Silver runes began to trace along the walls, following his pace perfectly as the hallway behind him began to shine a light similar to that found within his good eye. In quite a few places, Minato could make out the personal symbols of Thanatos, Hypnos and Nyx, revealing who had previously occupied the Ritual Chambers before Hades had his castle built above them.

Reinforcement seals long having fallen into disuse drank in the energy that bled from his body greedily, strengthening the integrity of the hallway to prevent a collapse under the weight of the earth above. Minato admired the old works, knowing that they were likely woven by his own hands long, long ago in a life he couldn't remember living.

He almost expected for memories to come rushing back, only to snuff the slight sense of disappointment he felt when he didn't even get a fleeting feeling of crytomnesia.

The area was steeped with long stagnated mana, the flavor of which had been long lost to the ages. From the dried blood that was splattered upon the walls in some places before different statues, it was obvious that the hallway leading into the main chamber below the castle of Hades was maintained for similar purposes and held its own uses.

Extending the massive amount of energy he gathered within himself outwards before entering through the double doors, the God of Death felt the presence of three beings within the large chamber he was approaching.

Three of the energy signatures were present within the middle of the room, just beyond a large source of energy that felt suspiciously like his own, only sealed away.

Minato came upon the final set of double doors that stood in his way, this time lacking a sigil woven by Hades to keep him out. It seemed the God of the Dead realized that it would be futile attempting to try and keep Minato away and had forgone wasting his energy a second time.

Knowing just how powerful the being lying behind the doors was, Minato knew that he would need more than just his large pools of magic to defeat him.

In the many months that Minato had come to live in the world he found himself now calling home, he trained himself and his body to handle the one type of power he had only called upon once before. Feeling that massive ocean of strength hiding deep beneath the waves of black that made up the surface of his Sea of Souls, Minato braced himself for something he almost dreaded as much as he longed for.

With a heaving, shaky inhaling of oxygen, Minato closed his eyes and dove deep into the massive stores of energy that became denser and denser as he probed further. Far past the gulf of darkness, hidden deep beneath the abyss of black, Minato grasped the essence he gained upon completing his journey with SEES and transcending past his human body to become the Great Seal.

Beyond the inky shadow that began to waft from beneath Minato sprung a silver light so bright and intense it scored deep marks upon the walls and door while casting away the heavy shadows that clung to his body. His lone eye became like a lantern, shining with ethereal power beyond what he was known to wield.

Minato rolled his shoulders as he felt the energy drawn directly from the Axiom begin to invigorate his body once more, topping off his reserves and pushing him beyond the limitations placed upon him by the laws of reality.

It was almost beyond words, the feeling that rushed through him as he actively began to channel the one source of power that he did his best to avoid using. His muscles bulged and flexed under the strain, though they held strong and did not start to degrade from the catastrophic energy levels they were being subjected to.

The last time he tapped into this same source of power that came from mastering the Arcana, his body couldn't handle the strain and whatever it was that bound him to his mortal form ruptured.

Something within Minato rushed to the surface along with the Arcane Mana or rather, _someone_ born from his sacrifice ten years prior.

Without needing to be summoned into the physical world, the effects of bringing forth _Messiah_ from the Sea of Souls began to make themselves apparent. Pauldrons of silver light covered his shoulder, transparent but stronger than any physical materials, protecting him in ways that armor never could.

From the closely floating, ghostly pauldrons, a thick bar extended behind him in a half moon, each tip connecting to his shoulder blades. In the center of the crescent floated a stylized clocks face with neither minute nor hour hands. The clocks face numbered one through thirteen, roman numerals denoting their positions. Eight stylized bars of transparent, shimmering silver hung beneath the crescent upon his back, acting as both wings and a cape.

Floating a few inches above the crown of his head, a silver halo decorated by barbs rested. It appeared as if woven by vines of thorn and emanated outwards so brightly that it lit up his visage and stretched his powerful shadow longer.

A stylized eye was emblazoned upon his eye patch, both physical and immaterial at once. The top line of the drawn eye curled upwards at both corners of the eye while five lines hung beneath the bottom of the eye. The pupil of the eye was triangular and pointing downwards instead of rounded, giving it an even more unnatural appearance than its writhing did alone.

The eye did not remain facing the same area being viewed by Minato, moving independently of his will and feeding him information he would have been hard-pressed to glean under normal circumstances nearly instantaneously.

Once more, Minato could see as if his eye had not been devoured by beings that could technically be considered his siblings, if not even better than before. His sight was beyond sharp, allowing him to view the world as if everything was moving in slow motion. Every particle that hung in the air was now visible to him as they drifted by on a breeze sustained by ancient magics at work to keep oxygen flowing in dead lands.

A deep, almost unsettling calm washed over his angry mind. His facial muscles relaxed until his mask of apathy was once more firmly in place. All of the stress he felt washed away in the tide of flickering white and silver energy that clung to him like a second skin, as did any of the regret for what he must do.

Drawing Ars Moriendi, Minato took a singular step forward. The two massive doors began to bend, warp and break away into nothingness sliver by sliver as if they were a computer program being deleted one segment at a time. It took only seconds for the doors to completely break down, leaving behind not a single trace of their existence.

Minato was given a very clear view of those sitting within a chamber once owned by Big D, denoted by the massive pool of darkness that churned in the center of the Ritual Chambers. The sealed source of power was screaming out almost audibly the pull was so strong, trying to reach out towards him and join with the Abyss that was now forced to cower beneath the silver shores of his soul.

The chamber itself was massive, easily large enough to house a few different sports avenues at once and still have room for a circus, glowing the same shade as Minato's eye and energy as more and more symbols began to appear upon the walls around the room.

Before any of those present within the room could say so much as a word, Minato reached out and took control of the massive sealing matrix that was left behind by Big D and sealed the Ritual Chambers shut.

A wall of fragmented, hexagonal panels of light began to appear from the ground before moving to link together in a massive chain along the walls of the arena, locking down the large arena and preventing all of those present from teleporting out until Minato willed the many panels to disappear.

Only after ensuring that there was no escape, even if Hades had outside help like Nemesis did, Minato turned to gaze at the three beings who lounged upon thrones meant for Minato and his own family.

Seated to the left of Minato's main cause for his recent anger was a woman he knew was Persephone, Goddess of Spring. A crown of wheat stalks and flowers woven together rested upon her head, denoting her status as a Goddess of Vegetation. Long, white hair spilled from her head and drifted far past her seated form, tracing along the ground without a care for any filth.

Her eyes were closed and from the gentle rise and fall of her chest, Minato could tell she was locked within a deep slumber from a spell woven over her by Hades.

To the God of the Dead's right sat a smaller figure, not much larger than Bennia in stature and size, though if Minato was correct in assuming her identity, was a few hundred years old at the least. Like her mother, Macaria had long, white hair that traced the earth despite her elevated position.

Whatever spell was used by the God of the Dead, neither seemed to have nearly as much energy as a Goddess was expected to wield. Watching their forms closely, Minato was able to glean the true nature of their slumber and snapped his gaze towards the fleshy figure resting in the central throne.

Hades was siphoning the souls from both his daughter and wife to sustain himself, their internal energies growing weaker and weaker as the head of their household used them as batteries to power himself.

" _Hades,_ " Minato greeted, his voice echoing through the chamber despite his mouth not moving to speak, _"I would say it is good to see you, but I know it is wrong to lie."_

"I see you are as sarcastic as ever, _Thanatos,_ " The bored looking figure clad in black and gold robes drawled venomously, swirling a golden goblet in their palm casually as if not bothered by the indecipherable presence of Minato, "You have finally gathered the courage to try and retake your throne?"

Instead of a tall skeleton wearing robes as he was said to appear by everyone he asked, Hades was instead the regal figure that his legend made him out to be, easily as muscular and good looking as any God of Olympus was foretold to be. Despite being the God of the Dead, his hair held volume and his skin, despite being pallid, was full and seemed healthy.

Long, black hair fell into curly locks, falling unto his robed and armored shoulders. He had a thick beard and mustache upon his face much like his brother Zeus, though it seemed to fall into sinister swirls instead of grand waves like the heavenly brother of the God of the Dead.

" _I have not come for a piece of gaudy furniture,"_ Minato shook his head in the negative, his voice once more echoing not only off of the walls of the massive chamber, but inside the heads of all present within the confines of the sealed space, " _I've come to reap what you've sewn._ "

Hades chuckled lightly at the play upon the title of his rival, his shoulders bouncing lightly before his head was thrown back, his nasally voice ringing louder than it should have. He stopped his laughing after a few moments and waved his free hand through the air as if conducting an orchestra.

Persephone and Macaria's thrones began warp and break apart until reforming into cages that both were placed in, more fitting of a large bird than two Goddesses. Curtains of darkness fell over the cages as they drifted behind the throne in the center of the Ritual Chambers, protecting them from harm while keeping them close enough to be useful to Hades.

Taking a long draught of the crimson substance within the golden goblet, Hades blanched and coughed as the thick liquid slid down his throat. His fleshy form lurched forward as his eyes widened immensely, flashing from royal purple to solid gold as his body crackled with power. Two beats sounded out like a heartbeat, loud enough to be heard by Minato despite the distance between them.

Hades coughed once more and leaned backwards upon the massive throne he had no right to sit in, his body trembling as the effects of whatever rested within the goblet took hold of him.

"How arrogant," Hades snarled after the crimson liquid began to bubble within his stomach, "To think that you would come here to face me as you are now. I can't even feel you, you're so weak!"

" _It is your own hubris that knows no bounds, Cur. In the eons I've drifted through the void, you have sat on your laurels and grown fat with decadence,"_ Minato jabbed a finger towards the hulking figure lounging upon his throne, accusatory and judgmental, " _I will show you my truth Hades, so that you might understand the gap between you and I is worlds apart."_

"Worlds apart?" Hades seemed unconcerned with the fact that he couldn't even sense the strength of Thanatos, despite being able to clearly see the effects of whatever energy it was that he was wielding, "The gap between you and I is further than that, you little insect. The vast divide that separates you and I is _Infinite!_ "

With a shout, Hades threw his free hand towards Minato as a massive spell circle appeared in the air, blasting a wave of screaming, crimson ghosts in the shape of skulls towards him. Hearing the cries of the damned, the blue haired God of Death summoned a large, hexagonal panel of light that shielded him from the rapidly encroaching orbs that exploded upon impacting the barrier of silver.

Minato did not waste his time speaking further, his body flickering and fading into a flash of fractal, silver particles, only to reappear with his long blade poised to piece the head of Hades just feet from his hulking frame.

Plunging his blade forward, Minato felt his blade glance upon the left cheek of the God and nick his earlobe as Hades leaned away from the strike, giving the God of Death first blood over the God of the Dead.

Seeing the retaliatory strike before it could land as if watching it happen in slow motion, Minato leaned away from the heavy blow Hades attempted to deliver while withdrawing his blade from the throne. Allowing his body to float backwards a foot, Minato swung his blade true once again, removing the arm of Hades that still grasped the golden goblet Minato had seen photographs of once before.

Hades came to wield the Sephiroth Graal, or rather a fragment of the Longinus-Class Sacred Gear that once held the blood of Christ. Thanks to the false eye granted to him by calling forth the Universe Arcana from its long slumber, Minato quickly broke down the function of the artifact while allowing the arm and goblet to fall into his shadow, sinking into the Abyss and out of the control of Hades.

" _I thank you for the gift,"_ Minato's voice boomed once more as his blade attempted to remove the head of Hades, only for the mildly displeased looking God to once more lean away from the shining blade, _"Your head is next, if you don't mind."_

Hades snarled before released a shock wave of energy from his body as his arm rapidly grew back, attempting to push Minato back and prevent Minato's blade from tasting his throat. A wave of royal purple with hints of ultraviolet washed over the ritual chambers and faded into nothing, the boundaries established by Minato holding strong against the powerful release of magical energy.

The shock wave did nothing to prevent Ars Moriendi from piercing through the chest of Hades and stabbing out of the back of the throne, however, only diverting it enough to save his head from being removed from his shoulders.

"Oh my," Hades laughed as he wiggled in the throne mockingly, forcing the blade to saw back and forth as if enjoying himself, " _That tickles."_

Minato tilted his head as dozens of false, ethereal blades flashed into existence around his body before stabbing forward, turning the body of Hades into a pincushion.

The silver light of the blades shined brighter before ribbons of hard light began to spring from the edges of the glowing weapons, binding the body of Hades and forcing him into the air at the command of Minato.

" _Does_ _ **this**_ _tickle, Hades?"_ Minato questioned curiously, almost as if he were genuinely curious, _"Does this compare to what you did to Ophis?_ _What you've done to me?_ _"_

"That filthy creature that pretends to be a little girl?" Hades questioned as his throat was constricted at the behest of Minato, "You actually care about what happens to that wretched God?"

" _I do,"_ Minato admitted, his apathetic mask breaking as his face drew downwards into a frown, _"I must say, Hades..._ _I had believed myself fitting of holding this title, but it is_ _you_ _who is_ _the greatest fool of all."_

"I am no fool," Hades growled as the symbol of Ophis appeared upon his forehead, his presence beginning to skyrocket as he struggled against the ethereal constraints placed upon him, "Wh-"

Hades was cut off as the force being exerted by the bindings and blades piercing his body increased again, almost enough to crush him entirely if not for the recent enhancements to his physical body. Due to the immense pressure he was pushing outwards from his body, he remained whole and capable of speech. Struggling to take a breath, Hades wheezed and inhaled just enough to growl again, "You, think this petty display of strength is enough to kill me, _you flea?_ "

" _Be silent,_ _you filthy mongrel_ _,_ " Minato demanded as his free hand flashed forward, a blade of light flinging from his finger tip and stabbing into the mouth and through the back of the throat of Hades, " _Your father had the right idea of swallowing you and your despicable siblings._ _P_ _erhaps he should have left th_ _e task_ _to your mother_ _in his stead._ _"_

Hades forced the blades of light piercing his throat to dissipate with no small effort, finally introducing enough energy into the foreign matrix to break it down and allow him to speak once more.

"You dare speak of my mother in such a way?! You and your whore of a mother bring nothing but shame to the Greek! Know your place, _cur_ , beneath my feet like the dog you are!"

Hades threw both of his arms backwards, shattering the constraints and allowing him to dash towards Minato while calling upon a massive blade of black fire. Wielding the massive claymore as if it were nothing more than a dagger, Hades slashed downwards while giving a might war cry.

Minato was split from crown to toe, only for body to break down into fractals as Hades was forced to swing his blade behind his back to block the nodachi attempting to return the favor. Glancing at the rapidly fading body before spinning on his heel while swinging again, Minato was once more bisected, this time at the waist before his body broke down into slivers of hard light once more.

"What source of trickery is this?" Hades growled as he brought his claymore to bare once more, blocking a strike he could feel coming from the shifting in the air at his left side, "I can feel my blade cut you in two!"

" _Are you sure you can trust what you feel?"_ Minato questioned lightly as he appeared to the right of Hades while another Minato appeared at his left, " _Or did you steal your senses from another as well?"_

Both Minato's blasted forward, forcing Hades to raise his blade to intercept the right most blade, only to gasp in pain as the blade swinging at his waist cut through his stomach almost completely while the other dug into his shoulder upon becoming distracted, bypassing his raised blade completely.

Grasping the wound upon his gut with his free hand, Hades stabbed his claymore into the ground and gathered his strength before twisting the hilt of his blade. The flames wreathing his sword sank into the ground and began to erupt around the two combatants in hundreds of thick pillars that melted the earth into slag from their intensity.

Minato summoned a shell of hexagonal panels of silver light to protect his body, this time only millimeters in size across and layered much thicker than before. The flames of Hades slammed into the hastily erected shield and eventually faded as Hades came to realize that he was only wasting his energy.

Growling lowly, Hades withdrew his blade before holding his free hand towards Minato, three spell circles appearing around his palm. Seeing that Minato was wielding Holy as his primary element, Hades attempted to use the opposite element to overpower his shields.

A massive beam of darkness slammed into the still shielded Minato, pushing the dome encasing him back a few feet before once more, Hades was forced to cut the power behind his attack. Losing his temper at seeing Minato remain where he was standing as if bored by what he was seeing, the towering form of Hades rushed forward while holding his blade above his head in both hands.

"QUIT LOOKING AT ME WITH THOSE BORING, SILVER EYES!" Hades screamed as he brought his blade downwards, only for it to reflect off of the panels of light as if slapped away, only for him to try again and again. When it became obvious that Minato still wouldn't budge, Hades withdrew and attempted to call upon spell after spell, kicking up so much dust in the area that he could no longer see the glowing form of Minato when he was finished with his tantrum.

Hades panted lightly as he gripped his head with his free hand as if lamenting the fact he couldn't stop himself from letting his anger get the better of him. "Calm down, Hades, he couldn't have survived that, it's okay, your okay."

Taking a deep breath while squaring his shoulders and looking upwards, the Greek God of the Dead almost felt his jaw drop when the dust parted to reveal Minato looking no worse for wear.

" _Oh, is it my turn? Allow me to demonstrate how it's done, Hades."_

From around the body of Minato, five massive rings of silver ten feet across erupted around his body while a sphere of seals phased between the five rings. One after the other, magic circles appeared along the rings in different positions, shifting and flickering as if being constantly updated by a super computer.

" _Listen well and engrave these words in your mind,"_ Minato began as the many seals began to settle, lining up with one another as if lenses meant for concentration just before the tip of his finger, _"I will crush you here and now and grind your bones to dust beneath my heel. I shall bring life to these dead lands you are so proud to have stolen from me and dedicate a monument containing your remains to everything that you hate. The Underworld is mine now, Hades, and your coveted Olympus is next."_

" _ **Holy, Holy, Holy, AMEN."**_

A small speck of white appeared at the pointer finger of Minato, centered upon the many concentric magic circles that acted as amplifiers for the Holy based spell before flashing and doubling in size.

The small sphere ruptured, releasing a beam of silver power at a velocity even Minato didn't expect.

The blue haired God misjudged the potency of the Universe Arcana tremendously, his eye widening slightly as the beam hit the first concentration seal, then the second, the third and continuing even further, doubling in strength upon each of the seals interacting with the attack.

Upon racing through the final seal, the massive array around Minato exploded with power, splintering the entire ritual chamber and almost causing the entire castle above to collapse if not for the reinforcement seals keeping the rubble in place.

Hades body disappeared into the flood of silver that overcame the massive chambers completely, blasting through the defensive barriers that Minato constructed while digging through the earth, creating a massive tunnel leading to the surface of the Land of the Dead and deep into the roof far above the Land of the Dead.

Glancing at his index finger as if it had spun in place and begun speaking to him, Minato mouthed three words under his breath that summed up his expression perfectly before it was gone as quickly as it came. Turning his attention towards the rapidly fading light brought about by the Trisagion spell, Minato focused on the massive strength still wielded by Hades and his current location, discerning his location in a heartbeat thanks to the Eye of Providence.

Rolling his shoulders twice, Minato cracked his neck before he allowed his body to break down into fractals of light. Not even a second later, Minato appeared directly before Hades with his blade poised to strike once more.

Hades allowed his body to plummet a few feet towards the ground before correcting himself to dodge the sudden attack of Minato, growling loudly as his hair began to float in the air due to his rapidly increasing aura of power.

The curly black haired God of the Dead clutched at his chest as blood dripped from his lips, his floating form hunched over slightly as he trembled in pain. The entire left side of his body was blistered and pink as if recently regrown, rapidly becoming as pale as the rest of his flesh as Hades tried to heal himself from the immense damage he took. Half of his body had been evaporated completely by the attack and if not for the power of the Holy Grail, Hades was sure he would have perished.

Drawing a rasping death, Hades began to laugh hysterically, throwing his head back while ignoring the pain such an action brought him.

"I wasn't expecting this of you, _Thanatos!"_ Hades cackled in delight as the energy stolen by Ophis began to heal his body at a tremendous rate, dropping in volume as the sigil upon his brow dulled slightly, "To use a spell created by _H_ _im_ _!_ _DESPICABLE!_ _"_

Minato pointed his index finger towards Hades once more, this time a javelin of light piercing through the open mouth of the God while two daggers pierced either side of his jaw, preventing him from moving his mouth at all.

The false eye granted to him by the Universe Arcana took in the details of the internal energies of the God of the Dead and transposed the information into something that Minato could understand, causing the hair on the back of his neck to almost stand on end as he began to comprehend just how far Hades was willing to go to get what he wanted.

Hades body began to bulge and writhe, gaining size in certain areas while shrinking in others, only to shift where such bulging appeared as he clutched both arms close to his chest.

"Whoaaaa!" Hades growled lowly, unable to form a sentence thanks to the blades piercing his throat and face as his energy began to push outwards from his body, causing brightly shinning cracks of light to appear from his split flesh like crevasses in pavement, "UOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Minato cursed lowly under his breath as he threw his free hand upwards, hundreds upon hundreds of hexagonal panels of silver light appearing around his body, creating a perfect shell around him as the form of Hades exploded with power. Watching the transformation happening before him was one of the most disgusting things Minato had ever seen, watching as the flesh and sinew of Hades warped and elongated, breaking and reforming into a being that didn't even remotely resemble the being he once was.

Eight wings sprung from the bloated and warped torso of Hades, Draconian in nature and longer than they were wide. Massive spurs of bone erupted from the joints of the wings, likely to be used for goring opponents and rending flesh.

His torso grew outwards and formed heavy plates of scale over his previously pallid flesh, ebony in color while holding a slightly purple sheen. The Dragon that Hades became had four arms, the top set having flesh and muscle while the lower set was skeletal in nature. The claws that tipped the four hands of Hades dripped viscous liquid.

A massive spell circle appeared between the eight wings of Hades baring a skull with the symbol of the Ouroboros emblazoned upon its brow, denoting just how much of the strength of Ophis was absorbed into his soul.

"UOOOOOOOOOOGH!" Hades threw his horned head backwards, letting loose a terrible roar of defiance that rolled over the Land of the Dead and echoed as far away as the city of Lilith, causing almost all of Hell to stop and take notice.

Minato allowed the shell floating around him to drop, the hexagonal patterns winking out of existence as he prepared himself. Sheathing Ars Moriendi, Minato allowed his body to settle into a low stance despite floating in the air before once more, the long blade of Thanatos was drawn so quickly and with such force that a vacuum appeared in between Minato and Hades. A streaking, silver crescent of energy impacted the chest of Hades and exploded outwards a split second outwards, showing the area below in a spray of golden blood tainted by the substance drank from the Holy Grail.

Swinging his blade again, Minato allowed more and more of the silver crescents to extend from his blade, exploding upon the scaled flesh of Hades as he drew closer and closer to the being who healed just as quickly as he was wounded thanks to coming into contact with the concept of life.

Hades opened his mouth and fired a massive beam of crimson flames towards Minato, only for him to swing his blade and bisect the attack while once more creating a vacuum in the air between them from the power behind his blade.

" _Megido!"_ Minato held his left hand forward, a silver magic circle bearing the Trinity appearing before his hand, causing a flickering white explosion of Almighty based mana to slam into the body of Hades, sending his form tumbling through the air as the angered God turned Dragon attempted to correct himself.

Minato did not allow for Hades to correct himself, instead allowing his body to blink out of existence, only to reform in the perfect position to slice into Hades with gusto. Another quick draw of Ars Moriendi carved a massive trench of a wound into Hades, allowing his golden and crimson blood to gush to the surface before it sealed itself shut with a steaming hiss near instantly.

Roaring once more, Hades called upon the massive stores of energy within himself and began to prepare one of his strongest attacks while smaller magic circles engraved themselves into the air, releasing a massive miasma of black that hung in the air around Minato.

Diving below the cloud of miasma, Minato left a streak of silver tracing through the air as he span in place and blasted towards the God turned Dragon while his blade poised to cleave through his throat. Ars Moriendi bit into the scaled flesh of Hades and erupted from the other side of his neck, nearly cleaving the head of the God from his shoulders as the Dragon fell downwards and to the left to get away from Minato.

Hades coiled his eight wings around his body as he began to spin his body in a corkscrew before spreading his wings wide and suddenly lurching upwards instead of plummeting towards the earth. The momentum he gained from his free fall allowed him to slam into the waiting form of Minato, Ars Moriendi biting into the horns of Hades as he continued to try and bite through the smaller frame of his opponent.

Minato punched the snout of Hades with his left hand, forcing the God of the Dead back by quite a few feet from the power behind the strike. Taking a deep breath, Minato narrowed his eyes at how quickly Hades continued to correct himself before blinking at the many eerie, crimson skulls that began to float in the air between the two.

Minato was forced to teleport once more not even a second later, his body breaking down into fragments just as hundreds of smaller balls of ghastly, tainted looking flames in the shape of skulls attempted to consume him. From the safety provided him by creating a large distance between himself and his opponent, Minato watched as the attacks of Hades exploded and rocked the earth below with massive force.

The strength of the attacks were so intense that the dead trees sprouting from the Land of the Dead splintered into dust while the earth cratered downwards, a bowl appearing a mile wide in the soil from the explosions that dotted the sky above him.

Minato lazily held his left arm over his eyes as he felt the presence of Hades closing in rapidly, keeping the dust from getting in his eyes as he braced his body for impact.

Holding Ars Moriendi above him as if showcasing the weapon to the world, Minato released a small grunt of exertion as Hades clawed hand attempted to gore him, only to come into contact with the long blade and come to a complete halt.

The ground beneath Minato splintered as he slowly turned his head upwards to stare into the eyes of Hades, completely nonplussed by the immense pressure baring down on him.

Hades continued to snap his jowls, saliva and gouts of flame washing over the form of Minato as he continued to apply downward pressure, only to stop in shock as he started getting pushed back with what appeared to be very little effort.

Not even sweating, Minato tapped his forehead, then his stomach, then his left peck before finally his right peck before kissing the fingers he touched his body with. His left pointer and middle finger began to glow at the tips before Minato pointed them both towards Hades, still suspended above him as he flapped his wings heavily to try and bypass the blade holding him in place.

" **For those whom Exalt themselves shall be humbled, and by my grace the humble shall be Exalted. Prostrate yourself before me and experience humility, AMEN."**

A sigil appeared on the chest of Hades, the Holy Cross appearing as the main focus of the seal while the Trinity carved itself upon the central point. A halo of light followed along the four points of the cross until completing upon the upper most limb. Upon the point of each limb of the cross, barbs baring roses inscribed themselves and stretched outwards, covering the massive torso of Hades in writhing, constricting light.

Silver began to bleed from the wound inflicted upon his chest, shinning outwards as Hades roared in pain once more. Flapping his eight wings while withdrawing his clawed hands from the blade of Minato, Hades attempted to take flight and flee, only for his wings to fail him as a massive pulse of white light erupted from the center of his body.

Hades was unable to correct himself after the sigil finished inscribing itself upon his body and soul, sending him into a terrible fit of spasms as his soul began to corrode from the foreign light slowly tearing him apart.

The light continued to shine as the Holy element seeped into the body of Hades, causing a volatile reaction as his energy began to turn on itself. The many strands of stolen strength removed from Ophis began to rage against him, causing his body to become even more unstable as the power of the Infinite left him, dripping from his body in writhing snakes that slithered towards Minato upon hitting the ground.

Allowing the many serpents woven by Ophis to coil around his legs before becoming one with his body, Minato felt his already limitless energy while pulling upon the Universe Arcana become even greater than before, threatening to break his body down into dust from the strain and grant him a repeat of his death ten years prior.

Hades continued to thrash as his body collided with the earth some feet away from Minato, attempting to claw away from Minato with his arms while the skeletal appendages wrapped around his chest tightly, gripping at the Holy Seal that engraved itself upon his flesh.

Minato took a calm step forward, his right hand drawing back Ars Moriendi before sending a massive wave of silver energy towards Hades baring far more power behind it than needed. The silver crescent dug a massive trench into the earth as it slid through the body of Hades with little to no resistance, cutting the tail and legs away from his body as the attack continued for miles before exploding into a massive pillar of light. Purple and silver shot sky high and cast brilliant rays over the Land of the Dead, illuminating the dead lands for the first time in heavenly, bright light.

Just as quickly as it came, the brilliant pillar of light that acted as a source of much needed light in a land of eternal night faded away, plunging them into darkness once more.

Minato continued to tread closer and closer, his blade making short work of the many limbs of Hades until the false Dragon God was a limbless torso with his head remaining. Each limb was eviscerated completely while his wounds were forced shut, preventing Hades from regrowing his limbs and continuing his useless struggling.

Coming to a halt near where Hades rested his head, Minato intercepted one of the large fangs of the Dragon that attempted to gore him and removed it from his head completely. Lashing out, Minato stabbed the removed fang through the snout of Hades and pinned his head to the earth, preventing him from attempting to bite him again.

Hades did not roar in anger this time, blood dripping from his throat as his vocal chords turned on themselves and shredded into oblivion from the force of his bellowing.

Deep, raspy breaths rattled Hades' chest as he struggled to remain amongst the living, the massive, glowing seal of silver upon his chest still siphoning away his soul shred by shred while transposing it to somewhere far beyond the world he wished to subjugate.

Resting his left hand upon the torn and damaged snout of Hades, Minato felt the closely knit barrier of silver energy around his body skyrocket once more as he drew on greater and greater amounts of the Universe Arcana hidden deep within his core to overpower the enhanced strength of Hades.

The eyes, nose, mouth and ears of Hades began to leak a silver light the same shade as Minato's, as did the unclosed wounds upon his torso.

Forcing more and more of the silver energy into the wounded body of Hades, Minato began to unravel the close ties Hades had formed with the essence of Persephone and Macaria, preventing the God of the Dead from reviving himself by sacrificing the soul of either his wife or daughter.

" _ **Behold, Hades, and hear my words. I am Death, and I am Life. War is inscribed upon my left hand, and Peace upon my right. All who heed my words faithfully shall receive my blessing, eternally."**_

The light leaking from the body of Hades began to pulse in a steady rhythm, causing Hades to lurch each time the light reached the apex of its brightness. The earth trembled beneath the presence of Minato as the land beneath him began to change due to the massive amount of energy bleeding from both Gods.

" _ **Your arrogance in sending me beyond this world is what sealed your fate, I must admit. Without your interference, I would have never forged the bonds that give me strength or come to comprehend the Universal Truth."**_

"Wh... what are you?!" Hades whispered harshly, his vocal chords having healed enough to rasp one final question, his golden eyes fading back into the royal purple as his soul began to escape his perishing vessel, "Why can't I feel your presence, even now...?"

Minato gave Hades on final, piteous look before leaning closer to the downed God turned Dragon, his face as passive as when he first confronted the God of the Dead.

" **I am beyond your comprehension."**

One final stab of Ars Moriendi saw the blade once wielded by his previous self buried to the hilt into the skull of Hades, thus spelling the final chapter of his legend.

Minato watched impassively as the torso and head of Hades began to break away into dust before reaching out, capturing the essence of the God of the Dead and crushing the last of his soul in his grasp.

Looking up at the sky as he sheathed Ars Moriendi and extended both hands high, Minato allowed the massive amount of ethereal energy bleeding from his body to coalesce into a seal resting miles and miles above the Land of the Dead, the largest he had ever created as it spanned hundreds of feet across. The seal flashed three times before shining a brilliant light downwards, illuminating the earth and granting heat to the cold tundras of sand and dead, gnarled trees.

The same eye that rested over the eye patch of Minato grafted itself upon the seal in the sky, granting him a range of sight that nearly made him sick with how suddenly his field of view extended. With the entirety of the lands once controlled by his past self within his gaze, Minato allowed the life bringing energy within him to rain downwards, changing the nature of the swaths of land entirely.

Pastures of green grass sprouted from the rolling hills of now fertile soil as asphodels began to grow in abundance, bringing forth a pallid sea of white over the lime green fields. Trees sprung up rapidly, gnarling and twisting much like the dead trees that dotted the landscape after being toppled, bringing forth fruit and budding blossoms alike.

As Minato continued to use the energy stolen from Hades mixed with his Arcane Mana to bring life unto the lands below, a heavy feeling of peace settled upon the previously dead lands.

Turning his gaze unto the earth upon feeling a slight trembling of the landscape below him, Minato watched as the earth began to tremble heavily as far as his eye could see.

An unearthly roar ripped through the air, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once as the massive rumbling the entirety of Hell seemed to be experiencing grew stronger, causing the land to crack in some places while shifting in others, only to settle after the bellowing faded away into nothingness.

Minato felt something heavy settle upon his shoulders as the roaring began again, this time causing the earth to tremble even greater than before as spires of earth jutted from the ground from the shifting of the mineral deposits deep below the surface.

Closing his good eye, Minato instead focused his vision through the Eye of Providence as he watched the barrier that separated the dimensions began to unravel extremely slowly some hundreds of miles from his location.

A massive, black claw tore through the strained fabric of reality, causing the entirety of the Underworld to shake and groan once more as it drew back and peaked through the tear with almost child-like curiosity.

Minato saw something moving in the tear in reality, something that made his blood run ice cold upon realizing just what he was seeing. The heavy feeling upon his shoulders grew almost a thousand fold as the roaring earthquakes began once more. A single massive, crimson eye locked onto Minato despite the impossible distance himself and the tear.

"Trihexa..."

The Beast had been woken up, alright, and on the wrong side of the bed to boot.


	52. A world with two Logos

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **5**_ _ **2,**_ _ **A world with two Logos**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 _You know, my mother used to tell me that if you didn't have anything nice to say, you really shouldn't say it at all._

 _Here you go, folks, the final chapter I will be writing for any story for a very long time, if I ever gather enough self confidence to even continue past this point. At the bottom of this chapter shall be the outline I planned on using to wrap up Exalted while leaving room for two other stories to follow it up, as well as smaller side stories based on either fluffy things, smutty things or just shenanigans._

 **[EX]**

The roaring that caused the lands to shake all across Hell brought many of the battles to a standstill. The feeling of dread that fell upon the shoulders of all beings, both alive and dead alike, was enough to cause even bitter enemies locked in mortal combat to come to a grinding halt.

The tone of the roar was almost as if pained, like a child crying out for it's father after breaking a bone.

Crom Cruach drained the essence of Apophis as he held the limp Evil Dragon within his jowls, turning his head to face the massive tear in reality that appeared a few hundred miles away.

A single massive crimson eye stared outwards from the tear, facing away from the Devils and Dragons as if The Beast were looking through a peep hole.

Dropping the limp form of Apophis, Crom felt himself tremble as the dreadful power of Trihexa began to leak from the tear in reality, bleeding into Hell and warping the landscape around them.

The massive pools of blood that dotted the landscape began to churn as the wailing continued, causing the Devils, Dragons and Gods alike to drop to their knees as they clutched at their heads.

Koneko felt as if her brain was rattling in her skull as a heavy wave of vertigo overtook her body, causing her to drop to her knees while emptying the contents of her stomach. Around her, she could make out the forms of her comrades doing the same through bleary, tear filled eyes.

She shivered and began to dry heave once more as the earth beneath her started to tremble. Using her immense physical strength while still drawing upon the powers of Senjutsu, she dug her fingers into the loose concrete slab of rubble beneath her as she did her best to ride out the earthquake.

Gasping loudly as a large piece of rubble fell and impacted her crown, Koneko felt her grip slip before she started to bounce from the earth as if riding a bull. Gritting her teeth, she dug her fingers into the concrete once more, ignoring the feeling of her fingernails splitting and tearing.

It was nothing a few days of healing and magic couldn't fix, unlike a concussion bad enough to rupture her brain.

"I've got you." Came the gentle voice of Asia as a wave of pale green light washed over the voluptuous body of the white haired Nekoshou, "Don't worry, Koneko... I... I'm sure..."

Asia trailed off, her green eyes unsure as she glanced upwards at the tear in reality. While she had absolute faith in Minato and his strength, this was beyond anything she had ever felt before.

"He can't fight that..." Xenovia breathed lowly as she landed next to the downed form of Asia and Koneko, only wielding Holy Moonlight while allowing Durandal to settle in its pocket dimension once more, "He could seal it, but..." 'It would cost him his life.'

None of those who knew the true story of Minato knew what to say. They knew that his objective was to stop the Apocalypse, or at least stop The Beast before it could breach the boundary between dimensions beyond The Gap, but could they truly stand by while he faced such a being?

"It will be alright, my children," Nyx tried to assure them as she came to kneel behind the form of Asia who rested upon her knees with her forehead pressed against her palms, "We will think of something. I refuse to allow my son to leave me, no... _us._ "

With fiery determination, Bennia clenched her fist in front of her face as one of her scythes, the one granted by Minato, flashed three times as if agreeing with whatever it was she felt.

"It's decided then. We are going to enlist help and stop Armageddon ourselves!"

"You make that sound easy..." Saji drawled as he rolled from his kneeling position to lay upon his back, staring up at the massive eye bearing the Mark of the Beast, "I can't fight something like that, guys..."

"I... I'm with you on that," Issei gulped nervously while staring upwards, laying three feet to the right of the downed form of Saji, "But I... I will if I have to! Senpai fought for us, so this time... Let's fight for him!"

"Like, here here!" Irina attempted to shout, only to groan and roll over from her laying position to throw up once more, "Ugh... I need mouthwash... and coffee."

"You and me both, sister," Gasper snarled as he stood up from his hunched position, able to stand after the feeling of despair that fell upon the land seemed to lift slightly, "I taste blood, dirt and something else I don't recall ever wanting to taste. Bleh!"

"Well, it's going to have to wait," Came the voice of Crom as he shrank down into a more humanoid appearance, "The Beast has created a few helpers, even when sealed away."

A long black coat settling over his shoulders while leaving his torso bare. Black pants and shoes covered his lower body while short, ebony hair slicked backwards from his crown.

If not for the heterochromatic eyes of black and gold, those gathered wouldn't have recognized him. The heavy Irish accent of the God turned Evil Dragon was the only other trait that he shared between his two forms.

"Will you help us?" Nyx questioned while eying the massive beast formed of blood, rubble and bone as the energy of Trihexa settled near the large gathering of beings, "You owe my son a favor, if I recall correctly."

"Yeah, I do," Crom admitted lightly as he leaned against the large slab of concrete spiked with bent rebar, "Hypnos isn't here to collect, so I suppose you want it in his stead?"

The dual colored glare that Crom Cruach was giving Nyx was enough to make Asia, Bennia and Xenovia alike to rise and stand in front of the Primordial as if to protect her from his glare. Upon realizing what he was doing, the black haired man gave the three a small, disarming smile while raising both of his hands upwards to show he was trying to be peaceful.

"Sorry, I just don't like being reminded of unpaid debts. It's not my fault the asshole doesn't know how to control his power and sleeps his life away." Crom huffed while crossing his arms over his chest upon seeing the four glares being sent his way lessen only a fraction.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind, given the circumstances," Nyx admitted while summoning her blade to her hand once more while calling upon the cosmic mana that empowered her physical form, "You can go ask him yourself if you'd like, though I wouldn't dare think of waking him myself."

Nyx suppressed a shiver at the thought, knowing just how volatile Hypnos became when someone woke him from his slumber for almost any reason whatsoever. The Mother of Night doubted that he would mind being woken for the End of the World, but she couldn't be sure with him.

The redhead really, really liked his sleep.

"Does it look like I have a death wish?" Crom questioned sarcastically as he tilted his head back to get a better look at the towering Behemoth forming from the sea of blood from all of those that perished, "You can miss me with that shit, Ma'am, I'll take The Beast Jr, here any day."

"That's what I thought, boy."

 **[EX]**

Sirzechs panted heavily as he stared down at his opponent, his body flickering and waving under the massive amounts of the Power of Destruction concentrated within his form. Gone was the long, red hair of Sirzechs, leaving behind a flickering being of crimson, black and white static that was eerily similar to the sable form of Minato.

Ajuka floated not far to his right while Tiamat was forced to leave and reinforce the barriers between Hell and The Dimensional Gap upon feeling the system in place being assaulted by an outside force. The form of Ajuka was heavily armored, though the style of the armor was very much unlike anything worn by Devil Society.

In the center of his chest was a shining green core of energy while white and black plates of heavy armor protected the rest of his torso. Encased completely in a horned helmet, the Super Devil was currently reading through thousands of calculations at once as the semi-sentient magic granted to him by his nature as a Maou observed his opponent and fed him information on his weaknesses bit by bit.

Around his arms and legs was heavy armor in the same style while behind his back spread four wings that looked mechanical rather than made of flesh and blood. Green light panels hung from the tips of the four wide wings, numbers and indecipherable letters floating across their surface before blinking out of existence.

Using the intelligence that put him on par with the rest of the Satans alone, Ajuka was able to subject the laws of reality around his body enough to transcend past the limits of the Devil form he was born with. Unlike Sirzechs, this form was not using the immense pools of energy within him, but rather gaining more power as he continued to absorb it from the ambient mana in the air.

"Sirzechs, we have to do this," Ajuka called out while eying his opponent warily, holding either of his arms across his chest and face to protect himself from any surprise attacks, "No holding back!"

So far, it was not looking good for the two Super Devils. Unable to glean any real weakness in the powerful aura being radiated by the robed and hooded figure, neither Sirzechs or Ajuka could deal enough damage to put the figure down before he could healed himself as if never wounded. Despite every algorithm he ran through his predictive programs constructed for active combat, Ajuka could not foresee his odds of defeating his foe rising even a single percent.

While he was a Satan supposedly on par with Sirzechs, his strength lied not in combat, but in creation. Rather than brute force and destruction, as so embodied by the current Lucifer, Ajuka was a creator and a tinkerer, one who broke things apart to figure out how they ticked and then built them back better than before.

"I know that, Ajuka," Sirzechs grunted as he disappeared from his previous position, his fist blurring through the skull of his opponent, or rather the after image of his opponents skull as he was forced to drop low to avoid a spear strike aimed at his ribs, "He isn't exactly the slowest opponent I've ever fought!"

Growling lowly, Ajuka forced his power to coalesce and form a cylinder of shining, green light before firing blast after blast of volatile power, only for the white robbed figure to chuckle heartily as he lazily dodged out of the way of each attack.

" **This is a great warm up** ," Came the dual toned voice of their opponent as he appeared before Sirzechs before delivering a massive downward blow to his shoulder, causing the Crimson Satan to gasp in pain as his body shot towards the earth at an extreme velocity, **"I've been away for far, far too long!** **Too long, in fact!"**

Sirzechs impacted the ground harshly, causing a massive crater to appear around his body as the stones beneath him crumpled into dust. Large gouts of crimson energy erupted from the flickering form of Sirzechs, completely evaporating even more of the land as he leaned up from the crater and shook his head lightly as if to clear the dust.

"Ajuka, did you get the number of the truck that just hit me?" Sirzechs questioned from his position far below, knowing that his fellow Super Devil heard him despite the distance, "This guy... he's something else."

" **I thank you for the compliment, Devil,"** Came the grandfatherly voice of his opponent before him as the white robed figure appeared a foot away from his downed form in a flash of golden light, **"** **T** **hough I can't say the same about you. Is this all that Hell has to offer me after so long?"**

Sirzechs grit his teeth in frustration, slamming his fist into the earth harshly before his body disappeared into a blur of crimson, his Power of Destruction appearing in a barrier around him as he barreled into the robed figure.

The white robed opponent of Sirzechs calmly backhanded the quickly encroaching figure away, causing the Crimson Satan to bounce along the surface of the earth like a stone across water.

Sirzechs came to a halt some few hundred feet away, his breathing as steady as it was previously as he once more pulled himself from the earth.

"Okay, I have to admit... this is getting old." Sirzechs cracked his neck left and right as he rolled his right shoulder, wincing upon realizing that his physical body beneath was starting to reach the upper most of his limits before being forced into his final form, "Any ideas, Ajuka?"

Sirzechs fired a beam of the Power of Destruction towards the robed figure, only for them to deftly step around the beam and stay just ahead of it as Sirzechs waved his hand to reposition his attack. Forming a Light Spear that was longer than his body, the white and teal robed figure casually launched the spear towards his opponent and disappeared with a small gust of wind.

Catching his thrown spear mid-flight, the robed figure crouched low and spun the spear along either of his shoulders while his torso was almost parallel with the ground before catching it and lashing out with a heavy downward strike.

Sirzechs was forced to dodge to the left to avoid the spear strike that split the earth below into a crevice before retaliating by forming a massive claymore with the Power of Destruction and swinging it at the face of his opponent, releasing a current of unstable energy that exploded into a wave of volatile destruction.

The white robed figure was blasted back slightly by the force of the attack but did not respond as if bothered by the damage incurred. Swinging the spear of light in the direction of Sirzechs, the Super Devil dodged to the left and around the wave of light that erupted from the earth. Feeling the stinging light shining upon his back, Sirzechs grit his teeth and began to change a ball of concentrated destruction.

"MASS DESTRUCTION!" The Crimson haired Satan also seemed to be in the habit of naming his attacks, sending a massive beam of concentrated Power of Destruction ten feet around from the center of his palm. When Ajuka once more joined the fight, he appeared to be wielding a claymore of a similar design of Sirzechs, though his was likely created through the bending of reality to his will.

The white robed figure decorated in gold formed a barrier of shimmering, golden light as brilliant as the sun, absorbing the powerful attack of Sirzechs and Ajuka alike while reflecting the damage outwards back at their creators.

Sirzechs grit his teeth and began to rapidly ascend towards the skyline to avoid the aftermath of his attack while Ajuka reabsorbed the kinetic energy redirected towards himself to reuse in a separate attack. Sirzechs wasn't sure how he did it, he wasn't going to ask. All he knew is that it really, _really_ sucked when Ajuka stored your attack away and used it on you later, having been subjected to humiliation during their younger days as rivals.

Once more calling upon the Power of Destruction in the shape of a massive claymore, Sirzechs let his intentions become clear to his comrade and opponent.

Holding the blade above his head, Sirzechs pumped more energy into the attack and elongated the super-charged attack before slamming it downwards to the earth with a tremendous roar, cleaving a trench both behind and before him for as deep and wide as his blade was long.

Holding his spear of light above his head, the robed figure seemed nonplussed as Sirzechs continued to apply more power as the massive beam of destruction bore down the spear of light wielded by Deus. Putting on a show as if he were being overpowered, the robed figure knelt slightly before the attack of Sirzechs was parried to the left almost lazily. The force of the attack slamming into the ground kicked up a gust of dust and wind, knocking down the hood of the figure as they once more attempted to gore Sirzechs upon their Holy based spear of crackling energy.

"Who... Cao Cao?!" Sirzechs questioned in shock upon seeing the face of his opponent, though the strange, serene expression upon his face and the molten, golden eye that peered back did not fit his description or photos in the least, "I never took you as a robot loving Holy Roller, spear man!"

Brown hair spilled from the crown of the Chinese teenager, tied behind his head in a tight ponytail while allowing the hair that seemed to be whitening from the roots out to fall to his shoulders. His left eye was hidden behind a white eye patch, only allowing the teenager to use half of his vision. Sirzechs then remembered that his eye had been removed during the fight between himself and Minato some time prior if he recalled correctly.

The flesh below his left eye was twisted and extremely pale with what appeared to be golden and black wires and plates of organic metal until just above his lips. The entire left side of his head bore the same strange, mechanical effect that really gave Sirzechs a feeling of discomfort the longer he looked.

" **I am not Cao Cao,"** Admitted the figure as he once more engaged Sirzechs in a dance of blades, the Power of Destruction being just enough to hold back the immensely concentrated light being wielded by the Chinese wielder of the True Longinus, **"You are somewhat correct, however. I** _ **was**_ **Cao Cao at one point."**

"Then who are you? What do you want?" Sirzechs questioned almost desperately as he lurched back to avoid a swipe at his stomach before sending a few blasts of his concentrated energy towards the stomach of _not_ Cao Cao, "Why did you kill them?!"

Sirzechs was pointing to his left now towards the ruined castle once occupied by the Great King, Zekram Bael.

" **What do you care?"** The figure once known as Cao Cao questioned curiously as he deflected each blast of the Power of Destruction being flung his way, **"They were traitors to your farce of a society anyway, were they not?"**

"Sure, Zekram was working with you behind the scenes," Sirzechs gestured towards the robed figure as Ajuka descended from the sky wielding a massive green blade of hard light, poised for a downward strike, "Perhaps even Lord Phenex, but to do what you did..."

The power around Sirzechs and Ajuka grew tremendously as they released yet another restraint woven upon themselves by one another, the two blades of light wielded by the Super Devils cutting towards their opponent like a pair of scissors.

In one smooth motion, the robed figure jumped upwards and bent backwards, doing a perfect back flip between the two crossing blades in an unnatural display of agility.

Just before the figure could land, both blades seemed to juxtapose their position directly into the path of his body, both slicing cleanly through him and trisecting his body.

Panting heavily, Sirzechs looked at the three pieces of the Chinese wielder of the True Longinus, an unsettling feeling befalling the area around them.

Leaping away from the downed body, both Ajuka and Sirzechs stood side by side as they prepared themselves once more.

When the three pieces of Cao Cao, or whomever the being was began to twitch and move back together to reform, Sirzechs and Ajuka both shared a quick glance before firing spell after spell towards the downed being.

Neither held back, releasing their most powerful attacks time and time again in an attempt to keep the being down, wanting nothing more than to end the fighting and pick up the pieces of their ruined cities.

" _ **RUIN THE EXTINCT!"**_

" _ **KANKARA FORMULA!"**_

Massive explosions rocked the area occupied by Deus as paracausal calculations bent reality and increased the attack power of Sirzechs wild magic, splintering the earth into less than dust as a heavy fog of war rolled over the area.

The attacks continued to rain downwards for many, many seconds before eventually coming to a halt. The trembling of the earth from the presence of both Super Devils subsided, as did the destruction wrought by their hands.

The two continued to brace themselves, however, when they heard a loud clapping noise ringing out from the cloud of dust. The clapping eventually disappeared completely as the sound of concentrated lightning echoed outwards from the center of the cloud.

With a wave of his light spear, the massive cloud blocking the view of the Super Devils parted, revealing Deus being singed and damaged, but still standing strong.

" _ **Very good, Children of Lucifer... very good indeed. You have earned the right to know one of my names... Call me, Deus."**_

The voice of Deus rang out loudly, echoing in the heads of both beings yet being heard by their ears as well. Both beings resisted the need to drop to their knees from the intense Holy presence that began to waft from the robed form of their opponent, burning at their skin despite being in a state that was almost on par with Satan himself as far as presence went.

The Holy presence continued to grow as Deus lifted his hand baring his spear, aiming towards Sirzechs as he prepared to attack the two once more.

" _ **It is a shame you were born a Devil, you would have made a most spectacular Angel."**_

Deus lamented loudly as the thirteen orbs surrounding his outstretched arm merged with his spear, causing the brightness and size to increase tenfold. Ajuka brought his arms before his face to block out the bright light while summoning barrier after barrier in between the two Super Devils and the being claiming to be the God of the Bible, hoping against hope that the two might survive the next attack.

Judging from how intense the light was, Ajuka doubted they were going to live much longer, even as two of the strongest beings in the world.

For all of their strength, they were facing off against one of the only beings they thought they were safe from, the being that could be considered responsible for most of the woes of the living and dead alike.

From the brilliant set of six Halos that hung above his head and the twelve wings of light and white feathers extending from his back, Ajuka began to doubt the beings claims less and less.

"Ha... how ironic," Ajuka laughed as he turned to face Sirzechs, whose form began to flicker and stabilize once more into one less volatile than his Embodiment of Destruction, "I had a feeling I was going to die by your side. Looks like I was right."

"Don't say that, I don't plan on dying here!" Sirzechs looked towards Ajuka with a slightly offended look on his face, "I want to die in the arms of my little sister and wife, thank you very much."

"Of course you would say that," Ajuka gave him a half lidded expression, his rueful smile falling before he chuckled lightly, "That is so like you, you irredeemable pervert."

"Yeah, I suppose so..." Sirzechs turned to face Deus, knowing that there was no escaping the being that they came across slaughtering the heads of the Seventy Two Pillars within the confines of Zekrams castle, "Want to go out in style?"

"Is water wet?" Ajuka questioned while rolling his shoulders, his massive energy signature skyrocketing once more as he began to use a relic he swore he would never need, "Don't bother thinking about an answer, I know such complicated questions are beyond you."

"What the hell ever, smart ass," Sirzechs groused as he reached into the robes clinging to his body, having been protected from his Power of Destruction thanks to the enchantments upon them, "On three, two... one..."

Teleportation may have been out due to a seal used by Deus to keep them locked down but Sirzechs would be damned if he didn't at least make sure _one of them_ made it back to warn the rest.

Sirzechs crushed the King Piece gifted to him by Ajuka so long ago and allowed the chaotic power granted by wielding such an artifact to merge with his body, causing his form to flicker and once more become engulfed by the Power of Destruction.

The earth beneath the two splintered heavily and began to float from the release of energy as the spear wielded by Deus impacted heavily against the barriers raised by Ajuka.

One by one, the green shields of light fell until eventually, the spear impacted the earth between the two Super Devils and caused an explosion of light so bright that it could be seen across the entirety of the Underworld.

Sirzechs bellowed loudly as he felt the light evaporate the left most portion of his body while Ajuka seemed to be spared the brunt of the attack due to the last minute shove of the crimson haired Satan, moving one of his oldest friends out of the way of an attack that would have killed him without a doubt. With one final act of kindness, Sirzechs transferred the entirety of his vast reserves of power into a barrier large enough to slow down the attack long enough to take it for himself.

"Sirzechs!" Ajuka shouted his name in despair upon seeing the damage wrought by the attack of Deus, dropping to his knees as he slid to a halt beside the wounded form of his oldest friend, "What the hell were you thinking?!"

Sirzechs coughed lowly as he turned his head to the right, away from Ajuka as corrosive blood dribbled from his mouth and unto the earth.

"I wasn't about to let you take the hit for me like you planned, dumb ass." Sirzechs admitted after drawing a shaky breath into his body and rolling back over, attempting to cling to life despite his blood pouring from his body at an unsustainable rate, "What kind of Brother do you take me for?"

Ajuka slammed his fist into the ground heavily upon hearing the confession of his best friend, his helmet fading from his head as his long, green hair spilled downwards. Tears sprung up in his eyes as he pulled a vial from his inner armor before attempting to pour the contents over the form of Sirzechs.

"Save them," Sirzechs lifted his good arm before placing it upon the wrist of Ajuka, stopping him from wasting any of his tears, from either himself or those collected from a Phenex, "They... can't bypass... the Light poisoning in time."

A bright flash of silver light cut off the words of Sirzechs, causing the three beings present upon the battlefield to tense for entirely different reasons.

To the two Super Devils, another Holy presence spelled terrible news for them. Sirzechs was already on his way out, his wounds no doubt severe enough to kill even him while Ajuka was no longer in the correct mental state to continue fighting upon seeing the wounds of his brother in all but blood.

For Deus, his reasoning for tensing as heavily as he did was two-fold.

" _Perhaps not,"_ A voice called out from behind them, causing Ajuka to turn his angry gaze unto the new comer before his eyes softened, _"But I can."_

"Minato..." Sirzechs greeted, waving lazily at the blue haired being despite the horrible state he found himself in, "Is it... did you... Hades?"

" _Hades is dead,"_ Minato affirmed as he came to kneel beside Sirzechs, silver light springing from his hand and settling upon the chest of the man he once knew so long ago, _"Save your breath, we can talk later."_

The wounds upon the body of Sirzechs began to slowly close, leaving the Crimson Satan without a left arm or leg, but allowing him to live to see another day.

" _Ajuka... I know this is asking much of you, but please take Sirzechs and get to safety."_ Minato turned his silver gaze to stare at the Super Devil with a single tear falling from his lone eye upon seeing just how badly one of his good friends had been wounded, _"This is my fight now."_

"Thank you," Ajuka whispered harshly under his breath, squeezing his eyes shut as he scooped up the body of Sirzechs and began to fly towards the ruins of Lilith at break neck speeds, "I won't forget this, Minato."

" _I wish you would,"_ Minato murmured to himself as he turned to face the being that froze almost solid upon seeing him, _"I would do it time and time again for my friends."_

" **Friends..."** Deus murmured lowly as the golden aura around his body began to flicker and grow heavier, **"You... call these Devils Friends, My Son?"**

Minato tilted his head to the left as he stared at the white robed figure of Cao Cao, his brow raised in confusion as he took in the appearance of the Chinese wielder of the True Longinus, _"I am not your son, Cao Cao. Have you been doing drugs?"_

Scoffing while shaking his head in the negative, Deus spread his arms wide as brilliant, golden light erupted from behind him, blinding Minato momentarily before the light died down.

Floating a few feet above the ground, the appearance of Deus remained mostly the same if not for the heavy, golden armor that coalesced over his body while twelve massive, white wings erupted from his back.

With his arms still spread wide, the golden left eye of Deus locked onto the silver right eye of Minato, and then he spoke.

" _ **BEHOLD AND REJOICE, FOR MY WORD IS ALIVE AND ACTIVE. KNEEL BEFORE MY THRONE OF CREATION AND KNOW THAT MY WAY IS PERFECT, MY WORD FLAWLESS. BY MY WILL, I SHIELD ALL WHO TAKE REFUGE IN ME. MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT SUSTAIN THEMSELVES UPON THE WORD OF MY MOUTH, AMEN!"**_

Minato grit his teeth as the brilliant radiance falling from the figure in waves washed over him, beating back the presence of the darkness within him while ushering forward Messiah against his will. Silver light began to bleed from his eye as the effects of the Universe Arcana once more overtook his body.

As the silver dawn of Minato's light began to rage against the golden evening of Deus, the teenager claiming to be a fragment of YHVH began to speak once more.

" **THE GRASS WITHERS AND THE FLOWERS FALL, BUT MY WORD ENDURES FOREVER. DO NOT LISTEN TO MY WORDS AND BE DECIEVED, BUT DO AS I SAY, AMEN!"**

Once more, the brilliant light being shone by Deus increased, forcing Minato to once more call upon more of the Universe Arcana within him to sustain himself against the immense pressure. Unlike the presence of Hades, the being he found himself facing off against wearing the body of Cao Cao was strong enough to register as a real threat, even while pulling at the energy granted to him by touching the Axiom.

Minato disappeared into a flash of light as a beam of golden light slammed into his previous position, appearing behind the figure of Cao Cao with Ars Moriendi drawn and already in motion.

Deus blocked the long blade of Thanatos while grunting lightly upon feeling the pressure baring down on him, forcing him to descend from the sky inch by inch.

" **Very good..."** Deus acknowledged before disappearing into a flicker of gold, much in the same way that Minato did, **_"My Son, it is very good to see you again."_**

" _How is it that you have come to live again, YHVH?"_ Minato questioned, using one of the names of the God of the Bible that he was familiar with, though all that escaped his mouth was heavily distorted static, " _Did you not meet your end at the conclusion of the Great War?"_

" **Did you not meet your end as well?"** Deus questioned as he appeared before Minato with his blade poised for his heart, **"I sent you beyond the Dimensional Gap, did I not?"**

" _You did,"_ Minato admitted as he ducked below the stabbing strike of Deus, " _But I was still alive. You, on the other hand, died a true death. You faded!"_

Minato raised his voice as he spoke while lashing out with his left hand, daggers of light appearing around his fist as he slammed it into the face of Deus and sent the Holy figure flying backwards, " _How did you come to possess Cao Cao? He was very firmly against the supernatural, the Gods_ _especially_ _."_

" **It is all thanks to you,"** Deus answered his final question, not bothering to answer the first two as he corrected his flight, seemingly enjoying the light conversation between the two as they fought, **"When you snapped the True Longinus over your knee, you allowed me to escape my prison and take over this body when this childs will faded away."**

Minato felt a chill crawl down his spine upon hearing the admission, though he did not let the feeling of slight regret he felt hinder him. While he may have had a hand in returning a portion of YHVH to the world of the living, he would do his best to correct his mistake.

" _One last question,"_ Minato drew his blade back and began to send crescent blades of power towards the heavily armored being that claimed to have been the Dying Will of God, _"Are you the one to break the seals on Trihexa...?"_

" **I am..."** Deus admitted as he parried the crescents of silver with his golden spear of light surrounded by thirteen orbs of shining, Holy power, **"Do you want to know why?"**

" _I would be lying if I said I didn't,"_ Minato frowned as he disappeared into a burst of fractal light, only to reappear some dozens of feet away with his blade sheathed and his body poised low towards the ground, _"Enlighten me, YHVH."_

" **To cleanse this world of my mistakes and start anew, starting with Hell."** Deus spread his arms wide as he allowed the attack released by Minato to be absorbed into a portal of light that appeared before him, only to eject from a portal that appeared behind Minato, **_"Then I shall go_ _and deal with my... traitorous children. Michael_ _and Gabriel.._ _._ _I cannot fault them for allying themselves with you,_ _my_ _Son, they were created to serve_ _Us_ _faithfully after all._ _"_**

Minato dodged his own attack and dove out of the way of the golden beam that erupted from the extended hand of Deus, hexagonal panels of silver protecting him from any damage that he couldn't dodge in time.

Sliding to a halt, Minato turned his attention towards Deus as he clutched at his head as if in pain. Deus threw his left hand out, causing a massive trench to appear between Minato and Deus as the golden armored figure floated backwards away from his opponent.

Minato did not offer parley, however, and pressed forward to carve into the flesh of the currently disposed opponent.

At one point, honor may have meant a great deal to him. Should he have been asked a few months ago if he would have attacked a downed opponent, he would have been given pause and perhaps answered in the negative.

Now, however, Minato knew he could not afford such gifts of mercy for those that stood against him.

Swooping in as a blur from the momentum of his body, Minato poised Ars Moriendi true to pierce the face of his distracted opponent, only for his blade to glance off of his skin as if made of steel. Minato felt his body collide with the distracted form of Deus as he let out a terrible wail of pain.

Minato quickly flipped away from Deus and eyed the trembling figure with his blade poised to defend himself.

Bringing his shaking hand downwards away from his left eye, the golden eye of Deus had faded to brown, if only for a moment.

"L-Listen to me! Don't kill my body! It will release the last seals on Tri-GRH!" Once more, Cao Cao struggled against the possession of his body, only to fail as the brown eyes of the Chinese teenager faded into gold.

" **Hmph, I must admit... I thought his soul had given up completely."** Deus mused as the Holy eminence from his body began to fade towards his core, seemingly suppressing the final bits of Cao Cao into oblivion was his body no longer visibly fought against him, **_"At last, be at peace my son."_**

" _How disgusting..._ " Minato murmured as he watched the Dying Will of God fully take over the body of Cao Cao, _"To think that_ ** _you_** _would do such a thing. Truly, you are an example to us all, YHVH."_

" **Do NOT say that name!"** Deus shouted as he clutched at his skull once more upon hearing the distorted name leave Minato's lips, **_"I AM THAT I AM."_**

" _It matters not what you call yourself, Remphan, Adonai, Amelek, Yah,"_ Minato listed as he drew closer to the figure as he fought harder upon hearing each of his names being spoken so casually, titles usually spoken in reverence within the halls of His people, _"You are playing with fire if you stand against me, or mine."_

" **We shall see, My Son,"** Deus stood and dusted his robes before glancing towards the tear in the sky, **"We shall see..."**

Deus flew towards the tear in reality at rapid speeds, seemingly retreating from the fight with Minato. Trihexa moved backwards as if to allow him entrance before the tear in reality began to mend.

With one final, ominous warning for the world, the tear in reality between Hell and the Edge of the World sealed shut.

" _ **BEHOLD AND KNOW THIS, SO THAT ALL OF THE WORLD MIGHT GATHER AT THIS MOMENT OF MY CHOOSING. IN THIRTY DAYS AND THIRTY NIGHTS, ARMAGEDDON SHALL COMMENCE HENCEFORTH."**_

Minato took a deep breath and released it before allowing the Universe Arcana to settle once more now that the presence of Deus faded. Brushing his coat off and rolling his shoulders, Minato spat at the ground to his left before lifting into the air and flying towards the remains of Lilith with multiple goals in mind.

"Thirty days is more than enough time to prepare for the likes of you, YHVH. You should have rushed things along while you had the chance."

 **[EX]**

 _Well, here we are, folks. End of the line for Minato, for now and maybe forever._

 _Part two of Exalted, titled Silver Shores, would have been a RWBY crossover while part three, titled Dead Men Walking, would have brought Minato and his extended family home to the Persona universe, where Nyarlathotep would have been the final foe Minato would have to face before I ended the series all together._

 _In between part one and two was to be a DxD:EX story, one a bit different than what others were guessing. Instead of it being Minato's future children, it was going to be the original cast of the light novel, meaning all Issei's kids._

 _It was meant to be awkward and fluffy at the same time when most of the kids ended up realizing that they actually liked their 'step-dad', despite thinking he's a wife stealer._

 _Other than that, I guess I can leave the final notes for Exalted and be done with it all._

 _YHVH was meant to be the villain from the beginning, but with a different twist than most SMT games give him._

 _Due to the nature of his existence, meaning a Triality, YHVH was meant to appear as both the hero and villain at the same time. Deus, who is merely Cao Cao taken over by the Dying Will of God, is not nearly as evil as he is pretending to be._

 _At the end of the Great War, YHVH saw what would happen with the release of Trihexa. To stop this, he sealed the memories of Thanatos while stringing Hades along as a useful fool. After sealing the Soul of the Son within Thanatos for safe keeping and making sure that Big D was completely suppressed, the empty vessel containing a large collection of souls from another world eventually made its way to the Persona world, where it developed into the man known as Minato Arisato._

 _From the differences between the universes, Minato developed along a different path than YHVH had envisioned, thus merging completely with the Soul of the Son upon creating the Great Seal and taking the Universe Arcana into himself._

 _Fast forward to Armageddon, and we have three different iterations of YHVH fighting for different goals._

 _Deus, as the Dying Will of God, was using Minato as a weapon in a fight against himself._

 _Namely, a God of the Bible corrupted by the Darkness of Man and Trihexa alike._

 _In the end, Minato would have pulled the soul of YHVH free from the Darkness of Man and allow him to return to the Sea of Souls._

 _There was a lot more that was to go into it, but it broke down as to Deus representing the Holy Spirit, YHVH being the Father and Minato being the Son._

Talk about uncreative, amirite?


	53. 3(0) Days Remaining

_**Exalted**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **5**_ _ **3,**_ _ **3(0) Days Remaining**_

 _I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker._

 **[EX]**

Like a funeral bell tolling loudly, the sound of terrible conflict once more roiled across the landscape of Hell. The cries of the dying and wounded filled the cities of the Underworld as the brutal incursion of Hades army of the dead was pushed back by the desperate Devils, Fallen and Dragons fighting for their homes.

Communication between the many ruined cities had been cut during the initial moments of the invasion, a result of the interference of the Old Maou faction. Thanks to the actions of Tiamat, however, the array used to link the many Devil cities together had been restored and allowed Hell's armies to coordinate with one another and begin their own counter-offense while evacuating the few citizens that remained trapped within the city limits.

The front lines of the fighting had been chaotic at best, the Generals and Field Marshals of the Grand Armies having to draw clashing battle plans in order to deal with having so many enemies they weren't prepared for popping up on home turf. Twenty minutes of guerrilla warfare, indiscriminate bombing campaigns and ferocious attacks on civilian targets saw the Old Maou Faction gaining quite a bit of territory quickly, carving up the lands that were once under the control of the Agreas Family.

That was, of course, until reinforcements arrived to bolster the desperate Devils loyal to the government created by Sirzechs and the New Maou.

Diehauser Belial crossed his arms over his chest and huffed in barely concealed anger as his Peerage continued to mop up the remnants of the Old Maou Army just beyond the outskirts of Auros, an agricultural town outside of the Agreas territory responsible for the production of a third of Hell's food supply. The vast countryside had been torn asunder by the fierce offensive mounted by the Grim Reapers and the Keres, contaminating the large swaths of land with entropic magic that would leave the soil barren for centuries. As the wave of Grim Reapers and Keres subsided, the Old Maou moved in and mopped up what little survivors there were after the first offensive moved on.

"This is a disaster..." The gray haired Devil growled beneath his breath lowly, trying his best to keep his quickly rising anger under wraps as his Peerage continued to make sure that the forces of Hades and traitorous Devils had been dealt with completely.

"Disaster is putting it lightly," Came a growl from behind Diehauser, once filled with barely concealed sorrow, "I... don't see how we can recover from this."

"Worry not, Sairaorg," Diehauser commented lightly while straightening his shoulders, doing his best to put on a strong face for the one he considered his young apprentice, "We were in worse shape after the Civil War. Hell has a way of springing back, even with the odds against us, You'll see."

"If you're sure..." Sairaorg Bael crushed the skull of a Grim Reaper beneath his foot as he spoke, one of many that surrounded the still form of Diehauser, "Auros is secure. We're going to make a push north, I can still feel the presence of something powerful that way and I don't think it's one of ours."

"Are you sure you can take it?" Diehauser turned to glance at the black haired Devil, knowing just how strong the young man had become under his tutelage recently, "I don't want you biting off more than you can chew, let alone now..."

"It won't take me long," Sairaorg clasped a fist over his heart as if to show just how strongly he believed his words, "Do you wish to rendezvous after I deal with them?"

"Yes," Diehauser turned his attention back towards his Peerage, a small smile eventually stretching across his face as he saw a bright, silver light race through the skies above them, "Afterward we finish here, we push towards Lilith. The rest of the cities have been secured, but a few pockets of resistance still need to be mopped up."

"Of course." Sairaorg gave his teacher another quick show of respect before turning on his heel while summoning the rest of his Peerage to his side before allowing his Devil wings to spread wide, "Come on, let's go."

"Yes, Master!" Came the response of his Peerage at once, his Queen's, Kuisha Abaddon, being the loudest. The eight beings loyal to Sairaorg rose into the air behind their King before they were gone, leaving Diehauser to his thoughts once more.

As soon as his apprentice was gone, the gray haired Devil allowed the reassuring smile on his face to drop before turning his gaze to follow the silver streak of light racing across the skyline towards the Capitol of Hell.

'Was that... Thanatos?'

Despite the wild aura of power that flared around his body, Diehauser couldn't feel the presence of the being whatsoever as he flew by. It took a few seconds for the gray haired Emperor of the Rating Games to realize just why he couldn't feel the strength of his newest associate, and it left a terrible taste in his mouth.

During a few of his Rating Games, Diehauser had used his own massive reserves of mana to his advantage with a hardly known trick once used upon him. By surpassing the upper limits of the sensory range of his opponents, Diehauser had the ability to become indistinguishable against those weaker than him by multiples.

'What is this feeling?' Diehauser questioned himself as he placed a free hand upon his stomach, the sinking feeling there only growing larger as time progressed.

It was a few moments later that he realized it was dread.

 **[EX]**

Crom Cruach and Nyx together had suppressed the miniature Beast of Blood summoned by Trihexa before the wound in reality was healed over, leaving the Gremory and Sitri Peerages to mingle with the wounded citizens around them as Asia tried her best to continue healing the wounded. Most of the others present had spread far from the recently erected medical tents that separated the wounded from the still healthy, leaving the Three Sisters to work in privacy.

"Is there anywhere else that hurts?" The High Priestess of Death questioned sweetly, kneeling over the prone form of an elderly Devil that had been buried under a few feet of rubble, "I want you to stay here and get some rest, this should all be over soon."

"Thank you, ma'am," Came the reply of the Devil, their voice heavy with barely concealed emotion as they maintained eye contact with the gentle blond, "Thank you for saving my life."

"I would do it again in a heart beat," Asia gave him one last smile before moving on to the next of the wounded, leaving Bennia and Xenovia to follow up behind her by getting the information of the man so they could register him as being recovered alive in the emergency system set up by Tiamat, "Hello, just tell me where it hurts and I will get to work right away."

"It's my thigh," Came a voice that was a bit too light to have been as wounded as those around, "It is most excellent to see you again, my sweet."

Asia stopped her hands from coming into contact with his body for a moment to look upwards, only to tilt her head to the right upon seeing the face of the wounded teenager she was attempting to heal. "I'm sorry, I... don't think we've met?"

"You really don't remember me?" The green haired teenager seemed a bit shocked at her revelation, "Are you serious?"

"I'm sorry, I've had _quite_ a day and my mind is a bit scattered," Asia tried to explain herself, only for the teenager to try and rise to get a better look at her, "Please stay still, we don't want your wound to reopen."

"I can't believe you don't remember me..." The green haired boy continued to press, his voice seemingly heavy with emotion, "I... you healed a large wound upon my chest almost a year ago, you _saved my life._ "

Asia didn't speak, instead withdrawing into her thoughts as she began to piece together the identity of the Devil before her. "I'm really sorry, but I've healed a lot of people in my life, stranger."

"Is there a problem here?" Xenovia questioned as she looked up from the tablet she was currently typing away at, "Asia?"

"Everything is fine, Xenovia," Asia gave her comrade a gentle smile to reinforce her words, only for the green haired teenager to grow more upset as they spoke, "Sigma. Sigma. Sigma."

Xenovia stiffened slightly upon hearing the repeating word Asia uttered beneath her breath, but then relaxed almost so much so that it appeared unnatural. The dark yellow orbs of the blue haired teenager flashed a deep emerald color much like Asia's for a moment as she turned away and took a few steps towards the rows of wounded before them.

"I'm not believing this right now," The wounded Devil murmured almost harshly beneath his breath, "My name is Diodora, Diodora Astaroth!"

Asia tilted her head once more, her emerald green eyes growing slightly less luminous as her forehead made a slight dip downwards and her veil spilled forward. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

The tone which she took was unlike any other her comrades had heard her speak, almost bordering on downright rude.

Asia glanced around almost lazily as her mouth jerked into a grin before returning to its almost apathetic lilt.

Bennia seemed to pick up on the sudden spike of negativity as she sent a fleeting glance of worry over her shoulder before attempting to Shepard the recently healed further away from the increasingly volatile blond High Priestess. The look on Xenovia's face was deathly serious, and the way her hands kept twitching towards either of her blades resting upon her back let the petite being know something was terribly amiss at once.

Xenovia mouthed the same code phrase that Asia uttered, and Bennia understood at once.

"Please lay back for me for just a moment, Diodora-kun... You won't mind my special treatment terribly, would you?" The twinkle in Asia's eyes had grown exponentially as her previously jubilant orbs of emerald faded into a dark jade, a strange mixture that made her eyes look almost sickly in nature.

Diodora swallowed and glanced quickly to the back of Xenovia, his right brow tilting slightly in an unasked question as a leering grin crossed his face.

"Don't worry about her, she knows what's about to happen... focus on just me, yes?" Asia let out a breathy laugh as she approached the now relaxed form of Diodora as he laid further back into his hastily erected cot upon the hard earth.

Both of her hands began to glow an ethereal green as she slowly reached for Diodora's 'wounded' thigh with her left hand, her digits shaking slightly as the distance between the two grew smaller and smaller.

Asia paused for just a moment as she turned her head slightly to look directly into his deep, golden eyes one last time before a wide, almost insane grin crossed her face.

"You know, I actually _do_ recognize you. You have no idea how long I've wanted to see you again... and such a splendid time to do so! It's... almost perfect." She giggled for a few moments too long, it seemed, for Diodora began to grow a bit weary.

He, too, began to laugh, though it was obvious his laughter was far more confused than anything else.

Her giggles eventually died down as her left hand clamped down upon the slightly obvious bulge in Diodora's pants while her right hand clamped down harshly over his throat like a striking viper.

His laughter, too, ceased instantly as he began to attempt to struggle against her impossibly strong grip, his body growing weaker and weaker as the sickly green light around her hands grew stronger and stronger.

The vibrant green hair of Diodora began to rapidly fade to gray as his skin withered and wrinkled, his surprisingly muscular body quickly shrinking down to nothing but sinew and bone, his struggling and muffled screams going unseen and unheard by those around still conscious.

His body soon fell still and his breathing ceased, his now milky white eyes staring vacantly at the cracked and exposed roof of Hell. He appeared to have had the very life sucked from his body, aging hundreds of years in an instant as the long life granted by his bloodline failed him.

Asia drew in a shaky breath as she stared down at the silvery serpent of strength she knew belonged to Ophis, having felt its presence within his body the moment she came within three feet of him. In her other hand was a sphere of something almost intangible, like a flame of black and white.

Its presence within her grasp felt almost disgusting, the crawling darkness creeping within the shades of weak white so unlike the gentle black that Minato had shown her.

She knew there was no turning back and restoring the life she had just ripped from Diodora's mortal coil, that she had taken his life from him in revenge, but she couldn't find it in herself to feel bad for it.

Asia had long since found out just who it was she had healed that caused her to be excommunicated, the information having been funneled to Minato through Sirzechs and later to her when the blue haired being felt her emotional state was strong enough to handle the information.

Months and months of dwelling on the fact that he had personally taken away the life she had desired for his own selfish gains ate away at her, to the point she had confided in Xenovia and Bennia the only goal she had for the future outside of establishing a world religion.

Killing the Devil who stole her life away for a lustful whim.

In another life, Asia highly doubted she would ever reach the point of desiring the blood of another, to crave the sight of watching his life leave his body, but she had been broken and pieced together by a being just as gentle, yet sadistic as her.

Minato didn't shirk away his anger, nor fold his hands when the need for violence came, and neither would she.

"It's the end of the world, and I'll be damned again before it's all over." Asia spoke to no one in particular as she watched the silverish purple serpent belonging to Ophis sink into her palm and empower her body much like it had Diodora before her, "But at least I won't face it a coward."

With a nod to Xenovia, the two Sisters moved to meet up with Bennia, a massive weight removed from Asia's shoulders as she placed a smile upon her face and did her best to keep the mood of those around her somewhat hopeful.

 **[EX]**

The saying As Above, So Below had proven itself true once more, the lands residing above Hell just as turbulent as the cataclysmic battlegrounds below. The seas and oceans churned uneasily as every God and Goddess, every Man, Woman and Child, every living being that could claim to have cognitive function all turned their attention to the skies above.

Much like the tear in reality that appeared in the cavernous space above Hell, one had appeared in the Heavens of Earth. Staring down unto the lands below silently, the world was given its first true glimpse of The Beast. It did not screech, nor attempt to display any aggression.

It's presence alone, of course, was more than enough to turn feral animals around the world into vicious beasts bent on destruction. It hung in the skies for all of ten minutes before the wound in reality began to mend itself slowly, its singular, unblinking eye remaining locked in a downward position.

The lands directly below the massive tear, the Siberian tundras, was rendered incapable of supporting life by the black, tar-like sludge that began to develop in frigid lakes. Soon, beings of writhing black with garish, crimson lines tearing through their 'flesh' crawled from the depths of the black, slowly growing their numbers to the hundreds and then, thousands.

The native population of the freezing lands were unaware of the growing darkness in their proverbial backyards, all tucked away and cozy in their mostly underground shelters where small fires flickered and flared to keep them warm.

As the tear in reality finally snapped shut with a loud crack heard around the Earth, the inky-black and crimson beings grew absolutely still, becoming nothing more than strange statues of gaseous substances numbering in the tens of thousands, waiting for the presence of their creator patiently.

It wouldn't be but a week later that once more, they would stir and finally march to the beat only they could hear.

 **[EX]**

Time had passed far quicker than Minato would have liked, leaving the blue haired being standing outside of the room created to keep Sirzechs alive as Fallen and Devil alike worked frantically to create prosthetic limbs capable of withstanding the raw Power of Destruction that flowed through 'The' Devil like blood through his veins.

His life was far from in danger, of course, but the regrowth of lost limbs was only truly possible for those of the Phenex Family. Despite the vast advances in science and Healing Magics that had occurred since the New Maou overthrew the previous government of the Devils, it wasn't quite enough to save the severed limbs soaked in Destruction and Holy Magic.

"Sir, the latest reports have come in. The Army of enslaved Anubi' have reached our borders! The Grand Army has been assembled and await further orders, Sir!" An out of breath Fallen quickly spoke as they skid to a halt before Minato, who continued to stare into the room where one of his closest friends sat flipping him off with the only middle finger he had left.

"Osiris himself has not been seen, then?" Minato questioned with a rather flat tone as he turned away from the petulantly pouting Sirzechs to address the still out of breath Fallen, "Nor Anubis herself?"

"No Sir, nothing of the sort yet, Sir!" The Fallen finally stood tall after taking a moment to compose themselves, standing at as close to attention as they could in the conditions they were operating under, "We hope to bring the fight to them, if possible." Another voice joined the conversation as Azazel stepped from around the corner, waving the previous Fallen away in a casual dismissal, "Something tells me that you want to do something else, though."

"We have enough evidence to prove that Anubis and her armies aren't willingly amassing at our borders, there is no need to fight." Minato didn't bother to watch the other Fallen walk away, his attention instantly falling on his other 'Brother in Arms' instead. "Take out Osiris and the rest will fall as well."

Azazel still seemed like he wanted to argue the point of just attacking them and dealing with the issue with violence, but he knew that Minato was correct. Despite his desire to find a nice target to vent his frustration on, trying to take on two Deities with the Domain of Death and their armies with just the meager forces of Hell still capable of fighting was foolish at best. Even with the Youkai and Norse Factions backing them, the Grigori and surviving Devils were left reeling from the losses of over sixty percent of their population.

Zekram and the death of the Bael Family threatened to send the already tense situation in Hell tail-spinning into the Abyss, but the presence of Minato seemed to keep most docile. His supposed title of 'Messiah' had begun to spread like wildfire after the declaration of Armageddon and grand reveal of Trihexa rocked the Under and Surface Worlds. No Devil with an iota of intelligence felt the need to point out that it seemed strange for the Greek God of Death to be confused with a Messianic being associated with the Abrahamic faith, his display of strength through the True Death of Hades more than enough to silence any would-be nay-sayers, if only for the time being.

It had only been a few hours since said revelation and Minato had already begun to dread his next meeting with either Michael or Gabriel. He refused to check his phone, having turned it off some time ago after it had begun to vibrate nigh constantly from the massive influx of texts and calls he had started to receive. It wasn't just Heaven and Hell who were in turmoil over the presence of the Soul of the Son within Minato, of course.

Odin seemed to give him a wide berth and a strange gaze when the two passed one another in the hastily created base that acted as the Grand Armies temporary headquarters. He wasn't the only one, of course, but it was the most striking case of receiving the cold shoulder that Minato had experienced yet.

He feared for the relationship between the Norse and the Protogenoi, but decided against dwelling on it. There were far, far more important things to be worrying about, such as finalizing the next few steps in his master plan in preventing Armageddon.

"You say that like it's a simple task to complete, D." Azazel rubbed the back of his neck as he turned his attention away from Minato and towards the one armed and legged Devil currently trying to occupy himself while his friends spoke without him.

"He isn't even close to being in the Top Ten, you'll be fine." Minato didn't feel the need to worry about another fight so soon, let alone with someone hardly worthy of his attention, "Odin would love to fight him, I'm sure."

"I was hoping you wouldn't suggest that..." Azazel sighed before shaking his head ruefully, "Something tells me you have something else you're planning..."

"Am I that transparent?" Minato rose a brow in confusion before slowly nodding his head, "I have very... pressing issues on my mind, currently."

"Don't we all..." Azazel murmured beneath his breath before sighing heavily, "I don't want to know what you're thinking right now, do I?"

"... No, I think it'd be best to keep this to myself. Plausible deniability and whatnot." Minato shrugged before turning away from the crippled Sirzechs and Azazel and making his way towards the warp room, "I will see you tomorrow, Azazel. If the situation deteriorates with Osiris, give me a call."

 **[EX]**

The sound of soft murmuring and pattering footfalls filled the Halls of Mount Olympus, nervous chattering echoing out between the massive pillars that held up the skies. Despite night having fallen, the skies remained illuminated with golden light, basking the Pantheon of Gods and Goddesses below in its beautiful glow.

"You said there was no way Thanatos would survive, Brother." Came a rumbling voice that echoed of churning waves, deep blue eyes and gray brows furrowed as they pierced across the gulf between them and the target of their ire.

"There wasn't. The Fates saw him die in _every_ timeline possible, as did I." The thunderous response came with enough force to cause the hair on the limbs of those gathered around to stand on end, "Thanatos was not meant to survive into the current generation, let alone against Hades. He... continues to defy every expectation of the Moirai."

"Of course he does, you fools! Death was never meant to be bound to the same rules as the rest of us Mortal Gods! When have _any_ of the Protogenoi acted according to fate?" A drunken voice seemed to cut through the chatter once more, the cheer within the spoken notes stronger than the crashing waves and thunderous booms of the previous speakers. "Even belligerently drunk I could have told you that!"

"Be silent, Dionysus, let the fools argue amongst themselves." The first feminine voice to speak up broke in after a few moments of drunken laughter ringing out, the Aether parting around her body like the Red Sea, "I see no point in our presence being demanded, Zeus, why are we _really_ here?"

"The Moirai are dead, as is Hades. I don't think it is a coincidence." A hardened voice spoke, his voice akin to a blade cutting through the air, "We would like to think that those present are _loyal_ , but something tells me there be treachery afoot."

"Come off it, Ares, who here would be able to kill the Fates? We all know it was Thanatos to kill Hades, either way, so what does that have to do with us?" Another voice joined the crowd of speakers, this one chipping away at the conscious like a hammer to an anvil, "This is a waste of time, I'm taking my leave. Contact me the next time you need a weapon forged and not a moment before."

The sound of four loud pops rang out and caused a few voices to fall silent for a moment before once more the large hall was filled with the din of argument.

 **[EX]**

High above Olympus, a heavily cloaked being hung in the air with their arms crossed before their chest.

After a few moments of observing the large gathering of Deities, their arms unclasped and slowly pointed downwards at the glowing mountain the Greek Gods called home.

A small silver seal appeared before either palm before it began to glow heavily, almost bright enough to be noticed against the already bright background.

It didn't take long for the immense gathering of energy to be completed, a massive beam erupting from the seal before the beings hands and rocketing towards Olympus. The attack slammed into the center of the large gathering and vaporized everything it came into contact with, absolutely nothing being left in the wake of its strength.

A bright flash of white and silver danced across the skies before the golden glow began to fade to black.


End file.
